ALONE  WITH   GOD 


^^  ^ 


CHILDREN   DYING  TN   INFANCY^ 


AND   OTHER    SERMONS, 


"^^^^fe^ 


^P 


:i.  If.  ^f 

PRINCETON,    N.    J 


\^mi/'e<^/ /y.   ^UM.  iJui^^  ^^ '^' f^CAu^f  OK 


Shelf. 


BX  9178  .M57  A46  1895 
Mitchell,  David. 
"Alone  with  God,"  "Children 
dying  in  infancy"  and  other 


•    i 


,»  .  .T- ^  -Vv 


^^. 


>Jf 


^. 


r,  JrW' 


i^ 


^ff^r^/:zi\^ 


-<UT^A^.^(\ 


^KJ»^. 


/      -^aJ/''  ': 


J>i» 


7/]{ 


4^^^^^' 


yj^_ 


%' 


:?ii^ii^ 


Scotch   Presbyterian  Church, 
Ikksey  City,    N.    T 


MEMORIAL  VOLUME. 


-ALONE    WITH     GOD/' 


'*  CHILDREN  DYING  IN  INFANCY  " 


AND 


OTHER     SERMONS 


BY 

y 

REV.    DAVID    MITCHELL, 

Recent  Pastor  oj  the  Scotch  Presbyteriati  Churchy 
Jersey  City,  JV.  J. 


JERSEY    CITY,    N.    J. 

ALBERT  DATZ,   PUBLISHER 

87    RAILROAD    AVENUE. 


TO  THE 


Scotch  Presbyterian  Church, 

JERSEY  CITY,   N.  J. 

In  memory  of   our  ten  years'  happy  experience  as  pastor 

and  people,  with  the  prayer  for  divine  blessing 

upon  the  congregation  in  all  their  work 

of  faith  and  labor  of  love. 

The  Author. 


CONTENTS. 


Sermon        I.  Alone  with  God. 

II.   Children  Dying  in  Infancy. 

III.  Christ  the  Truth. 

IV.  The  Bible  and  Higher  Critics. 
V.   Holiday  or  Holy  Day — Which  ? 

VI.   The  Transfiguration. 
VII.   A  Telling  Principle. 
VIII.   Too  Many  Churches. 
IX.  Value  of  Tears. 
X.   Marriage. 
XI.   The  Christian  Race. 
XII.   Our  Glorious  Fourth. 

XIII.  Saturday  Half  Holiday. 

XIV.  Learning  by  Experience. 


'Tis  midnight,   and   on   Olive's  brow. 
The  star  is  dimmed  that  lately  shone, 

'Tis  midnight  in  the  garden  now 
The  suffering  Saviour  prays  alone. 

'Tis  midnight,    and   from   ether-plains 
Is  borne  the  song  that  angels  know, 

Unheard  by  mortals  are  the  strains 
That  sweetly  soothe  the  Saviour's  woe. 


ALONE   WITH    GOD. 
SERMON  I. 

'*  Alone  ;  and  yet  I  am   not  alone,   because  the  Father  is 
with  me." — JOHN  xvi :  32. 

We  might  use  these  words  in  the  treatment  of  our 
Saviour's  solitariness,  but  it  is  our  purpose  rather  to  consider 
them  as  a  general  principle. 

In  one  sense,  my  friends,  it  seems  natural  to  think  of 
ourselves  as  not  alone  in  this  world.  We  are  members  of  the 
great  human  family,  bound  together  with  the  whole  by  our 
physical  and  mental  likeness,  by  our  common  dependence 
on  each  other  for  support,  by  our  business  and  commerce, 
by  language  and  customs  and  habits,  and  by  the  duties 
we  owe  to  one  another. 

How  true  it  is  that  we  are  connected  with  all  this  life,  that 
we  are  not  alone,  that  there  are  multitudes  like  ourselves 
on  all  hands.  Such  considerations  show  that  we  are  not 
alone  in  this  world   of  life  and  activity  and  responsibility. 

"  Never,  believe  me, 
Appear  the  Immortals, 
Never  alone." 

But  while  thus  true  we  are  not  alone  in  the  world, 
there  are  many  senses  in  which  we   are   alone.     Solitude 


6  ALONE    WITH  GOD. 

surrounds  us  and  presses  upon  us  all.  We  are  as  the 
words  express  it,  "Alone  and  yet  not  alone." 

I.  And  the  first  consideration  we  offer  as  suggested  by 
the  text  is  there  is  solitude  in  our  very  nature.  Although  I 
am  a  member  of  the  human  family,  yet  my  individuality 
marks  me  out  from  all  other  men.  While  the  branches 
of  a  tree  afford  a  striking  and  beautiful  illustration  of  the 
union  of  men  in  faith  and  love,  yet  I  am  not  like  a  branch. 
Its  union  with  the  tree  is  necessary  to  its  very  life. 
Separate  it  from  the  stem,  and  no  longer  does  the  living 
sap  flow  into  every  leaf  and  twig,  no  longer  can  it  bear 
fruit. 

But  every  man  has  a  distinct  personality.  Each  of  us 
lives  by  himself.  There  is  a  circle,  so  to  speak,  that 
surrounds  the  individuality  of  every  man.  Into  this  no 
one  can  enter.  Even  the  tender  child  to  whom  you  have 
given  life  and  over  whom  the  parent  bends  with  deepest 
love  is  separate  from  you.  It  has  an  organization  of  its 
own.  And  within  its  tiny  body,  there  are  the  same  dis- 
tinct operations  of  life,  there  are  miniature  forms  of  the 
heart  and  lungs  and  pulse  that  beat  within  yourselves,  of 
the  sinews  and  muscles  that  knit  your  frame  into  manly 
strength.  While  therefore  that  child  is  so  helpless  and 
dependent  upon  you,  so  that,  if  you  dealt  carelessly  with 
it  or  left  it  to  itself,  it  would  die,  yet  how  independent  of 
you  is  its  existence.  The  fondest  parental  care  cannot 
stay  disease.  He  has  no  control  over  the  rude  hand  of 
death  that  may  in  a  moment  snatch  his  beloved  from 
him.     And  so   with    us  all.     We   are  alone  in  the  world. 


ALONE   WITH  GOD.  7 

We  are  separate  from  one  another  in  virtue  of  our 
physical  nature.  And  how  true  is  this  also  because  of 
our  immortal  part  !  You  may  in  a  sense  enter  into  the 
soul  of  another  by  sympathy.  There  may  be  such 
communion  that  your  very  being  seems  merging  into 
that  of  another.  Yet  how  unreal  is  this  communion. 
It  is  merely  a  figurative  expression.  Somewhere  in 
heaven,  perhaps,  there  may  be  the  reality  which  this 
figure  describes.  But  it  is  not  here.  There  is  no  real 
communion.  As  husband  and  wife  sit  by  the  fireside, 
and  speak  of  the  events  of  the  day,  or  the  many  interests 
which  bind  their  souls  in  one — yet  what  different  paths 
may  their  inmost  thoughts  be  pursuing,  the  one  retrac- 
ing the  pathway  of  his  past  life  and  there  are  presented 
to  him  the  delightful  scenes  of  youth,  or  there  may  start 
before  him  the  revered  forms  of  parents  or  friends  who 
have  long  since  passed  away,  while  the  imaginaiion  of 
his  partner  may  be  filled  with  the  future  opening  before 
her  with  bright  prospects  Again  around  the  table  the 
members  of  a  happy  family  may  be  telling  interesting 
stories,  or  singing  merry  songs,  yet  if  we  could  enter 
into  the  soul  of  each,  how  differently  affected  every  one  ! 
You  would  perhaps  find  the  brain  of  that  boy  fired  with 
his  possible  future  while  the  attention  of  another  might 
be  given  to  the  story  or  song.  Or  I  may  be  standing  in 
the  street  before  some  advertising  sheet,  which  tells  of 
the  newest  play,  or  of  some  great  hall  of  commerce.  You 
come  up  and  stand  by  my  side  reading  apparently  the 
same  words.     Yet  how  far  from  the  truth  might  this   be. 


8  ALONE    WITH  GOD. 

I  am  looking  at  the  words  yet  not  seeing  them  all  the 
time.  My  mind  is  at  the  other  side  of  the  world  or  re- 
velling among  the  stars,  or  the  cares  and  sorrows  of  life 
are  wholly  absorbing  my  thoughts.  How  true  then  of 
our  mind — of  our  heart — that  we  are  alone,  that  a  circle 
surrounds  our  thought  and  feeling  into  which  no  other 
person,  not  even^our  closest  friend,  can  enter.     We  are 

' '  A  noise  like  of  a  hidden  brook 
In  the  leafy  month  of  June, 
That  to  the  sleeping  woods  all  night 
Singeth  a  quiet  tune." 

Yet  in  respect  of  existence  we  are  not  alone,  for  the  Father 
is  with  us.  Our  bodily  life  is  in  His  hands,  so  that  when 
He  withdraws  his  hands  we  die.  It  is  He  who  keeps  us 
in  health  from  day  to  day.  Our  soul  life  is  also  depend- 
ent entirely  upon  Him.  It  is  He  who  gives  us  the  power  of 
vigorous  thinking,  or  of  calm  judgment,  or  impulsive 
earnestness.  While  no  fellow  can  enter  thoroughly  into 
the  enclosure  of  our  individuality,  God  can  ever  do  so. 
He  is  present  with  us  in  our  secret  thoughts.  He  pre- 
sides over  our  inward  consciousness.  And  no  man  can 
separate  himself  from  his  Maker.  How  wonderful  to 
think  of  this  being  true  of  every  human  being  !  The 
Father  is  with  him — preserving  the  individual  in  life. 
To  think  that  the  power  which  is  keeping  us  this  day  in 
strength  is  doing  so  with  every  one  of  the  multitudes  who 
occupy  the  globe!  Verily,  all  life  is  in  the  hands  of  God. 
We  might   descend    into   the  minute,  what  we  would  per- 


ALONE    WITH  GOD.  9 

haps  call  insignificant  objects  of  creation,  and  say  the 
same  thing  of  them.  The  insect  that  you  cannot  detect 
with  the  eye  is  supported  by  God.  The  Father  is  with  it. 
Animal  life,  as  we  see  in  its  myriad  forms,  is  His  work, 
and  ii  is  maintained  by  His  hand.  And  we  might  ascend 
on  the  scale  of  being  up  to  the  archangel  that  is  near  the 
throne,  and  say,  that  though  this  Being  can  furnish  you 
with  displays  of  marvellous  power,  yet  his  life  is  with 
God,  because  the  Father  is  with  him.  God  is  in  truth 
the  King  over  all,  and  we  should  worship  Him  as  present 
with  all  His  works — making  all  things  work  together  for 
good  and  by  His  goodness  maintaining  millions  and 
millions   of    animal   forms  in  health  and  strength. 

n.  But  let  us  advance  to  another  thought.  Solitude  arises 
from  our  pursuits  in  life.  Every  one  has  his  or  her  own 
calling,  and  the  work  to  which  this  leads  must  absorb  our 
attention  to  the  almost  entire  exclusion  of  the  pursuits  of 
others.  Even  when  there  are  hundreds  engaged  in  the 
same  factory  or  warehouse,  separation  arises  from  the  fact 
that  every  one  has  a  special  service  to  render.  There 
may  be  mutual  dependence  upon  each  other.  The  work 
might  be  rendered  imcomplete  or  imperfect  through 
the  hands  of  another  being  thrown  idle  by  the  stopping  of 
the  machinery  or  by  sickness  or  neglect.  Yet  every  one 
has  his  own  work  to  do  which  another  cannot  do  for  him 
— which  he  must  either  perform  or  leave  off.  And  so  too 
with  all  others.  While  the  merchant  is  brought  into  touch 
with  many  other  men,  yet  he  has  a  work  of  his  own — 
away  from  all   eyes — which  he  is   carrying  on  in  his  office 


lo  ALONE    WITH  GOD. 

or  exchange.  The  very  term  "  professional"  points  to 
individual  work.  Our  professions  are  seperating  us 
from  all  others  and  compelling  us  to  be  alone.  Every 
one  has  his  own  ideas  and  schemes  to  work  out.  No  man 
can  enter  into  them.  And  should  he  die,  they  are  necessarily 
left  unfulfilled.  It  is  the  same  with  a  minister.  What 
solitude  arises  from  his  work!  He  may  with  others  con- 
cert schemes  for  the  working  of  his  congregation.  He 
may  be  the  means  of  helping  others  to  discharge  their 
duties.  Still  he  stands  alone.  The  thoughts  which  he  is 
preparing  during  the  week  for  his  people  on  the  Sabbath 
compel  him  to  be  alone.  And  in  discharging  his  public 
duties,  separation  and  isolation  necessarily  arise.  To  take 
the  highest  example  of  all — who  is  more  alone  than  Christ 
in  going  about  his  Father's  business  ?  No  other  could  be 
the  Saviour  of  men.  He  came  to  this  world  to  bear 
testimony  to  the  truth^  and  in  this  capacity  He  was  alone. 
He  came  to  take  upon  Himself  the  yoke  of  all  men,  and 
here  he  was  alone.  While  mingling  with  the  busy  world 
— meeting  men  in  the  temple,  or  market-place,  or  by  the 
sea  shore,  or  on  the  mountain  side — He  was  yet  alone. 
Yes!  my  brethren — lone  and  solitary  as  He  was  while  pray- 
ing on  the  Mount  apart  from  all  others — He  was  also  alone 
in  the  fulfillment  of  His  office.  He  went  through  life  in 
solitude,  marked  out  from  all  others  by  the  fact  that  He 
was  the  Teacher  of  the  truth. 

But  while  alone  in  this  sense,  we  are  yet  not  alone^  for 
the  Father  is  with  us.  No  man  can  separate  his  calling 
from  the  presence  of  God.     God  is  with   you  my  brother 


ALONE    WITH  GOD.  ii 

or  sister  in  the  work-shop.  God  is  present  with  your 
master  in  the  counting  house.  The  Father  is  beside  the 
minister  in  his  preparation  to  preach  the  truth,  or  as  he 
kneels  by  the  bed-side  of  the  sick  and  dying.  Jesus 
said,  ''Alone,  and  yet  I  am  not  alone,  for  the  Father  is 
with  me.""  How  truly  was  the  Father  present  with  Christ 
in  all  his  work!  Mow  truly  did  Jesus  commune  with  his 
heavenly  Father  and  thus  draw  strength  and  comfort  to 
his  wearied  body  and  soul  !  And  let  us  learn  a  lesson 
from  this  truth,  to  be  faithful  and  conscientious  in  the 
discharge  of  our  duties.  Your  master  may  not  see  you, 
the  servant,  or  be  aware  that  you  are  lazy  and  indifferent 
while  absent  from  you.  But  God  is  with  you,  noticing 
and  recording  your  every  neglect.  The  eye  of  man  may 
not  be  turned  on  the  dishonest  merchant.  He  may  have 
the  reputation  of  being  fair  and  upright  in  his  dealings. 
While  building  his  fortune  on  the  false  foundation  of 
injustice  or  deceit,  yet  no  one  would  suspect  this  for  a 
single  moment.  A  minister  may  resort  to  clever  dodges  to 
make  up  for  earnest  and  laborious  work.  His  people 
may  be  edified  and  delighted  with  this  way  of  discharging 
his  duties.  But  God  is  present  with  him — conscious  of 
all  his  acts  of  deceit  and  hypocrisy.  And  should  not  we 
on  this  account  take  God  with  us  into  all  our  work  ? 
Should  we  not  do  our  duty  joyously  and  heartily  just 
because  the  Father  is  with  us  ?  And  if  we  seize  hold  of 
this  truth,  may  we  not  from  the  very  presence  of  God 
derive  daily  rich  supplies  of  strength  and  grace  for  our 
work  ?     O  to  depend  continually  on  God!     O  to  be  near 


12  ALONE    WITH  GOD. 

Him  really  in  faith  and  love!  Would  not  this  make  us 
herculean  in  strength  ?  Let  us  truly  fear  and  love  God 
and  manliness  will  distinquish  our  work. 

III.  A  third  point  that  suggests  itself  as  unfolding 
the  thought  of  our  text  is  that  we  are  alone  in  regard  to 
salvation.  In  another  point  of  view  the  redemption  of 
Christ  brings  men  together  and  constitutes  them  a 
society  harmonious,  united,  happy.  The  love  of  God 
binds  them  together  in  love  of  each  other.  But  in  an- 
other sense  we  are  separate  from  all  other  men  in  the 
reception  into  our  hearts  of  the  grace  of  God.  If  we 
have  not  been  converted  and  we  are  yet  to  be  saved, 
there  must  come  a  moment  when  we  have  to  bow  before 
God,  as  though  there  were  none  in  the  universe,  but 
Him  and  my  own  self.  The  feeling  will  arise  that  you 
are  the  Chief  oi  sinners.  The  load  of  sin  and  guilt  will 
isolate'you  in  the  world  and  seperate  you  from  all  other 
men.  Nay,  the  more  you  seek  union  with  men  in  such 
a  crisis  of  your  soul  you  are  the  less  likely  to  receive 
benefit  from  GoJ.  We  are  apt  to  rush  away  from  this 
solitude  in  God's  presence  and  seek  refuge  in  business, 
or  pleasure,  or  society.  We  want  to  drown  the  thought 
of  our  solitariness.  We  are  anxious  to  get  away  from 
our  convictions  and  fears.  We  would  destroy  person- 
ality by  rushing  away  from  ourselves.  But  doing  this 
there  is  no  chance  of  being  saved.  The  grace  of  God 
cannot  touch  us,  because  we  have  fled  from  the  spot  on 
which  God  in  his  mercy  showered  it  down.  If,  on  the 
contrary,  we  would  receive  from  God    the    blessings   of 


J 


ALONE   WITH  GOD.  15 

pardon  and  peace,  we  must  get  them  all  alone.  Salvation 
must  be  preached  to  an  unconverted  man  as  though 
there  were  not  another  person  in  all  the  world  but  him- 
self. O  no,  it  will  not  do  for  anyone  to  say,  that  the 
word  so  earnestly  spoken  from  the  pulpit  is  well  suited 
for  my  neighbor,  it  is  not  for  me.  And  is  it  not  an  awful 
and  strange  thought,  that,  while  a  mother  .'acrifices 
herself  every  day  for  her  beloved  child,  yet  she  cannot 
save  that  child  from  perdition.  What  would  not  many 
a  fond  parent  give  to  save  her  child?  The  World  [ 
it  would  be  thrown  into  the  balance  in  a  second. 
Riches  !  !  Honor  !  !  !  Would  they  not  be  cast  aside  in 
a  moment?  She  may  use  means.  She  may  pray  earnestly 
to  God  for  her  child.  She  may  impress  her  sen  from 
his  earliest  years  with  the  love  and  goodness  of  Jesus. 
She  may  train  him  to  read  the  Bible  and  go  to  Church. 
She  may  labor  day  and  night  to  make  him  look  to 
heaven  as  the  end  of  life.  Yet  that  child  must  believe 
for  himself,  must  cling  to  Christ  for  himself,  must  mourn 
over  his  sins  for  himself.  It  has  a  burden  to  bear  that 
no  one  can  bear  for  it.  And  so  too  with  every  one. 
We  are  alone.  We  must  come  to  God,  each  man  by  him- 
self and  learn  the  simple  lessons  of  faith  and  love. 

But  how  true  in  regard  to  Salvation  that  while  alone, 
we  are  yet  not  alone,  for  the  Father  is  with  us.  Is  not 
our  salvation  from  the  Lord?  Is  it  not  the  will  of 
God,  even  our  sanctification  ?  Is  it  not  God's  work  to 
breathe  new  desires  and  holy  thoughts  into  our  souls? 
Does  not  Jesus  say  to  us  as  individuals-''/^^  that  cometh 


1 4  ALONE    WITH  GOD, 

unto  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out  ?"  Does  not  the  Holy 
Spirit  strive  with  each  one  to  convict  him  of  sin  ?  And 
O  !  would  we  be  saved,  it  is  not  by  depending  upon 
ourselves  but  it  is  by  earnestly  seeking  God.  Let  us 
delight  in  the  presence  of  the  Father.  Let  us  meet 
God's  work  in  us  by  earnest  efforts  on  our  part.  Let 
us  work  out  our  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling, 
and  thus  receive  the  benefit  of  the  work  which  God  is 
ever  carrying  on  within  us  to  make  us  will  and  do  of 
his  good  pleasure,  and  then  truly  we  will  be  pardoned 
by  Him  and  daily  sustained  by  His  grace,  so  that  at 
length  we  may  enter  into  that  blessed  presence,  when 
we  shall  see  God  face  to  face  and  rejoice  forever  in  the 
society  of  the  redeemed. 

IV.  But  again,  the  thought  of  solitariness  arises  from 
considering  the  sufferings  to  which  we  are  exposed,  and 
death  that  must  visit  every  human  being,  unless  the  Lord 
doth  come  in  our  day.  Is  it  not  true  indeed  that  our  suf- 
ferings throw  up  a  great  barrier  between  ourselves  and 
all  others,  and  leave  us  alone'^.  Let  sickness  visit  me,  and 
while  in  the  overflow  of  your  brotherly  sympathy  you 
may  visit  my  bedside,  and  by  the  pressure  of  your  hand, 
and  tear  in  your  eye  and  tender  words,  you  seek  to  do  all 
for  me  that  a  dear  friend  can,  yet — willing  though  you  be — 
you  cannot  take  my  sufferings  to  yourself  and  endure 
them  in  my  stead.  I  must  lie  there,  separated  from  you 
by  the  feehngs  that  possess  me.  Or,  again  should  calam- 
ity befall  me  in  my  business,  and  while  ready  to  do  all 
that  kindness  dictates  to  your  loving  heart,  the  depres- 


ALONE   WITH  GOD.  15 

sion  that  arises  from  my  helpless  condition  is  mine  alone. 
No  other  can  take  upon  him  the  burden  that  weighs  me 
down.  Or  should  death  visit  your  home  either  by  the 
slow  process  of  known  disease  or  by  a  shock  that  pros- 
trates you  to  the  ground,  what  solitude  there  is  in  your 
condition  !  Warm-hearted  friends  may  visit  and  condole 
with  you.  But  you  hear  them  not — you  see  them  not. 
Were  it  not  they  understand  you  too  well,  they  would 
think  you  strangely  cold  and  distant.  But,  friends,  there 
is  a  solitude  that  must  come  to  every  one  sooner  or  later 
— that  none  of  us  has  any  conception  of,  though  we  have 
keenly  felt  the  solitude  arising  from  suffering — and  that  is 
when  you  aftd  I  come  to  die,  O  !  I  have  often  been  struck 
with  the  strange  anomaly  presented  in  the  chamber  of  the 
dying.  Here  am  I  called  to  visit  such  and  speak  with  him. 
Why  is  it  the  patient  often  appears  listless  and  indifferent 
to  what  I  say  ?  It  is  because  if  he  is  conscious,  he  is 
thinking  for  himself — it  may  be — praying  for  himself. 
Perchance  there  comes  up  at  the  moment  I  speak  some 
familiar  word  of  truth,  a  crowd  of  old  scenes  and  remem- 
brances— opportunities  come  and  gone — sins  committed 
and  unrepented  of — omissions  innumerable.  Yes,  that  may 
be  the  reason,  and  I  have  thought  in  the  midst  of  such  a 
scene  that  a  dying  man  is  better  left  alone — that  at  all 
events  it  is  only  the  privilege  of  dearest  and  nearest 
friends — of  a  wife,  or  child,  or  the  minister  to  be  pres- 
ent, and  that  the  crowd  of  eager  and  staring  and  whispering 
men  and  women,  who  come  there  because  of  custom  or 
out  of  curiosity — are  only  in  the  way.     Let  us  be  deeply 


i6  ALONE   WITH  GOD. 

impressed  with  this  last  solitude  we  must  all  experience, 
and  not  vainly  put  away  the  thought  from  our  minds  that 
we  too  must  needs  die. 

Jesus,  my  friends,  trod  the  wine  press  alone.  His  was 
a  life  of  suffering  and  toil.  His  career  on  earth  was  sad. 
He  was  therefore  alone.  He  was  often  driven  from  the 
presence  of  disciples  and  dear  ones  by  accusing  enemies. 
With  scarcely  indeed  a  friend  in  the  world.  He  did  his 
work,  constantly  exposed  to  persecution.  And  who  can 
gaze  upon  His  bleeding  corpse  on  the  cross  of  Calvary 
without  feeling  how  truly  He  was  alone?  Still  His  words 
''Alone,  and  yet  I  am  not  alone,  because  the  Father  is 
with  me,"  were  spoken  just  before  entering  upon  the  hour 
of  His  travail.  In  that  moment  He  was  sustained  by 
God.  He  had  before  Him  the  bitter  cup,  the  view  of  His 
enraged  foes, — present  to  Him  even  then  were  His  suf- 
ferings on  the  tree — yet  He  could  say,  "  I  am  not  alone, 
because  the  Father  is  with  me."  Yes  !  and  in  the  hour 
of  His  agony  in  Gethsemane,  although  bowed  down  in 
solitude  and  sweating  great  drops  of  blood,  yet  He  is  not 
alone,  for  He  said,  "Let  this  cup  pass  from  me  ;  never- 
theless not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt."  On  the  cross 
what  solitude  is  expressed  in  the  bitter  words,  "My  God, 
My  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  me?"  Yet  here  we 
have  the  moment  of  His  greatest  triumph  when  He 
prayed  for  His  enemies,  "  Father  forgive  them,  for  they 
not  what  they  do."  At  length  the  awful  sentence  rang 
out  into  the  air,  "It  is  finished."  With  these  words 
breathed  from  His  agonized  heart.  His  pure  and  innocent 


ALOXE    WITH  GOD,  17 

spirit  parted  from  this  world  of  sin,  and  ere  a  moment 
had  gone,  attending  angels  were  rising  with  Him  to  the 
Father's  presence — there  to  witness  the  honors  that  were 
in  store  for  the  world's  greatest  martyr,  for  the  Saviour 
of  men. 

And  Christ's  words,  "Alone,   and  yet  I  am  not  alone, 
because  the    Father  is   with  me,"   may  be  rendered    ours 
by  faith.      In   bodily    weakness    and    mental    pain,    as 
children  of  faith,  the  Father  is  with   us.     When   calamity 
presses  sore  upon  us,   we  are    not  alone.     When  death 
comes  and  plucks  from  our  affectionate  grasp  the  beloved 
form  of  a  parent,  or  child,  we  are  not  alone.     The  Father 
is  with   us.     Yes,    and    vvhen    at   last   we    are    called    to 
experience  the  solitude  of  our  own  dying  moments,  when 
familiar  voices  no  longer  touch  our  ears,  when  we  cannot 
feel  the  ^pressing  hand  of  our  dearest  friend,   when  the 
world  and  pleasure  and  honor  are  leaving  us  forever,  yet, 
believer,  you  are  not  alone.     The  Father  is  with  you.     He 
is  with  you — to    comfort    and    strengthen — with   you  to 
catch  your  parting  spirit,   and  carry  it  up  to  the  serene 
heights  of  celestial   bliss,  where   there   will  not  be  such 
solitude  from  sorrow  and  suffering  as  we  have  described, 
but  the    companionship    of   angels,    and    the   just  made 
perfect — the      companionship     of     God    and    his    only 
beloved  Son. 

Let  me  urge  in  conclusion  that  the  only  awful  solitude 
in  the  eternal  world  is  that  of  a  Lost  Soul  ! 


IN  MEMORY  OF  DAVID  MITCHELL,  Jr. 


Strange  we  never  prize  the  music 

Till  the  sweet  voiced  bird  has  flown  ; 
Strange  that  we  should  slight  the  violets, 

Till  the  lovely  flowers  are  gone  ; 
Strange  that  Summer  skies  and  sunshine, 

Never  seem  one  half  so  fair, 
As  when  Winter's  snowy  pinions 

Shake  the  white  down  in  the  air, 
Then  scatter  seeds  of  kindness 

For  our  reaping  by  and  by. 


The  sudden  and  terrible  death  of  David  makes  this  sermon  of  special  value.  He 
not  only  took  keen  interest  in  its  composition,  but  helped  to  put  it  in  shape  for  the 
press.  He  went  out  well  and  hearty  on  Tuesday  morning,  August  27th,  1S95  — proud 
of  his  first  day  as  Assistant  Superintendent  of  Columbia  College,  New  York.  The 
dread  summons  came  at  night  that  our  boy  was  dying  at  Manhattan  Hospital,  New 
York.  Sad  indeed  were  our  feelings  when  closing  his  eyes  on  Wednesday  at  6,30 
P.  M.,  and  saying,  "  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away.  Blessed  be  the 
name  of  the  Lord."  As  the  text  really  refers  to  a  young  lad  it  is  all  the  more 
appropriate.  Our  "  wee  Davie  "  was  faithful  and  true.  What  is  loss  to  us  is  gain  to 
him.  "  We  shall  go  to  him,  but  he  shall  not  return  to  us."  We  refer  with  much 
pleasure  to  the  letter  of  Messrs.  McKim,  Mead  &  White  at  the  end  of  this  sermon. 


% 


DAVID   iVirrCHKLL,    )r. 


CHILDREN   DYING  IN  INFANCY. 
SERMON  II. 

''But  now  the  child  is  dead,  wherefore  should  I  fast? 
Can  I  bring  him  back  again  ?  I  shall  go  to  him,  but 
he  shall  not  return  to  me.'' — II.   SAMUEL  xii: — 23. 

It  is  my  purpose  to  speak  a  word  of  comfort  to  many 
parents  who  have  been  bereaved'  of  their  off-spring. 
David,  though  King  of  Israel,  is  not  exempt  from  death 
approaching  his  household.  Into'  the  circumstances 
attending  the  birth  of  this  child  we  need  not  enter.  What 
we  have  to  do  with  is  the  death  here  recorded.  It  is 
touching  to  find  the  grave  overshadowing  this  young  life 
and  showing  the  child  was  not  for  this  w^orld.  The 
monarch  is  on  a  level  with  his  lowliest  subject  before  the 
king  of  terrors.  There  is  mystery  about  the  loss  of  dear 
little  ones  which  we  can  hardly  solve.  Why  in  countless 
cases  the  babe — so  lovely,  so  fair, — just  opening  its  eyes, 
begem.med  with  dimpling  smiles,  the  object  of  that 
mother's  fondest  care,  the  heavenly  jewel  vvhich  the  proud 
father  feels  has  been  put  in  his  hand,  should  be  ruthlessly 
torn  from  them,  to  be  placed  in  the  cold  and  shivering 
tomb,  to  become  nothing  more  than  a  shadowy  remem- 
brance, is  beyond  our  ken.  Oh !  what  countless  numbers  of 
children  are  thus  taken  from  the  gaze  and  from  the  hearts 


20  CHILDREN  D  YING  IN  INFANCY. 

of  parents.  There  is  something  inexpressibly  sad  in  such 
bereavements.  But  we  wish,  dear  friends,  while  sympathiz- 
ing with  your  tears,  to  turn  to  the  Word  for  your  con- 
solation in  the  hour  of  trial. 

I.  Let  us  consider,  in  the  first  place,  the  conviction  of 
the  Psalmist  that  he  ''shall  go  to  his  child."  David  raises 
no  question  about  the  welfare  of  his  son — though  now 
gone  and  lost  to  sight.  His  dear  one  is  not  forgotten. 
He  can  never  die  from  his  heart.  It  is  evident  David 
believes  in  a  future  state.  He  speaks  of  himself  awaking 
with  the  likeness  of  Christ.  The  safety  of  the  boy  is  not 
doubted  for  a  moment.  Only  one  question  is  with  him — 
of  going  to  his  well  beloved.  And  here  let  us  state  his 
ground  for  this  hope.  He  believes  that  he  himself  will  be 
blessed  with  a  place  in  the  Kingdom  of  glory  because  of 
his  faith  in  the  coming  Messiah.  He  has  learned  to  trust 
in  God  for  his  happiness  after  death.  The  ground  of 
confidence  is  the  sacrifice  which  was  to  be  completed  by 
the  Saviour  at  some  future  period.  After  heart-felt  prayer 
for  forgiveness,  when  feeling  that  no  offering  he  can  make 
will  avail,  and  saying,  "Thou  desirest  not  sacrifice,  else 
would  I  give  it.  Thou  delightest  not  in  burnt  offering,"  he 
exclaims,  ''the  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  spirit,  a 
broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  O  God,  Thou  wilt  not  despise," 
and  then  turns  from  this  to  the  death  of  Christ,  which  is 
typified  by  the  sacrifices  rendered  on  earth  in  faith, 
"Then  shalt  Thou  be  pleased  with  the  sacrifices  of  right- 
eousness, with  burnt  offering,  and  whole  burnt  offering  ; 
then  shall  they  offer  bullocks  upon  Thine  altar."     This  is 


CHILDREN  D  YING  IN  INFANCY.  21 

just  saying, — '<to  gain  the  end  of  safety  there  is  not  any- 
thing I  would  not  do,  but  I  rely  wholly  on  the  merits  of 
another.  I  depend  upon  the  true  meaning  of  the  sacrifices 
w^e  are  now  rendering.  I  look  to  'Him  who  shall  drink  of 
the  brook  in  the  way,  who  therefore  shall  lift  up  his  head.'  " 

And,  my  dear  friends,  who  have  lost  precious  children, 
it  is  our  privilege  to  ask  if  you  can  say,  ''we  shall  go  to 
them."  As  we  shall  see  there  can  be  not  a  shadow  of 
doubt  about  the  felicity  of  your  dear  ones,  on  what  ground 
are  you  assured  of  going  to  them  ? 

Let  us,  who  know  the  Gospel  in  its  fullness,  realize  what 
is  our  way  to  the  Kingdom  of  heaven.  It  is  reliance  on 
the  merits  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  altogether 
different  with  us  from  the  dear  ones  who  have  gone  before. 
AVe  must  repent  of  our  sins  and  accept  the  Saviour.  Paul  says, 
"and  if  Christ  be  in  j^ou,  the  body  is  dead  because  of  sin ; 
but  the  Spirit  is  life  because  of  righteousness."  This  is 
what  Christ  teaches  all  the  way  through.  He  makes  sure 
of  salvation  to  those  who  believe  in  what  He  accomplishes 
in  our  behalf.  Jesus  was  sent  to  carry  the  load  of  our 
guilt  and  to  give  us  rest.  The  merits  of  His  death  are 
already  His  by  anticipation.  He  beholds  throughout  His 
career  the  end  of  all — His  cross.  Hence  he  sets  himself 
the  task  of  winning  souls  on  the  basis  of  his  finished  work. 
How  precious  His  words  about  the  new  birth  to  Nicodemus, 
about  living  water  to  the  woman  at  the  well,  about  having 
the  inner  eye  of  the  soul  opened  to  the  Light  to  the  blind 
man,  to  whose  bodily  eyes  He  restored  sight  !  Was  not 
Jesus  most  explicit  on  this  matter   to  the    Syrophenoecian 


22  CHILDREN  D  YING  IN  INFANCY. 

woman,  when  He  tried  her  faith,  treating  her  as  a  Gentile 
dog  compared  with  the  favored  children  of  Israel,  and 
calling  forth  her  wondrous  reply,  ''Nevertheless,  the  dogs 
eat  of  the  crumbs  which  fall  from  their  master's  table." 
Well  might  He  cry  in  her  hearing.  ''  Oh,  woman,  great  is 
thy  faith."  She  was  one  who  was  saved  by  faith  because 
of  the  death  which  was  to  end  her  Saviour's  career.  It 
was  the  thought  of  saving  souls  and  fitting  them  for  His 
kingdom  above  which  fired  His  words  with  unknown  power, 
which  led  to  His  marvellous  discourses,  which  made  Him 
perform  miracles  of  healing  upon  all  manner  of  sickness 
and  of  raising  the  dead,  which  were  to  be  taken  as  symbols 
of  the  grander  miracles  upon  the  souls  of  men  which  were 
to  be  accomplished  by  His  death  and  by  the  indwelling 
Spirit.  With  what  confidence  Christ  endured  unto  the 
end !  As  a  wise  Physician  He  healed  in  view  of  the  heal- 
ing which  was  to  be  accomplished.  And  Oh  !  why  was 
He  so  earnest  in  the  contemplation  of  His  death  ?  He 
knew  upon  that  hinged  the  salvation  of  men.  Never  was 
such  a  task,  and  never  was  a  task  undertaken  with  such 
solicitude  !  He  triumphed,  and  because  of  His  victory^ 
there  was  after  His  ascension  an  immediate  harvest  of 
souls.  Thousands  were  saved  through  Peter's  discourse. 
Pentecostal  times  have  continued  in  the  church  ever  since, 
and  no  one  can  tell  the  numbers  who — filled  with  the 
light  of  faith  and  hope  in  consequence  of  the  death  of 
Christ  being  applied  to  them  by  the  Spirit's  power — have 
thus  passed  from  corruption  into  the  glory  of  the  skies. 


CHILDREN  D  YING  IN  INFANCY.  23 

And  so  it  is  with  us,  dear  friends.  Are  we  counting  on 
meeting  the  precious  little  ones  who  have  been  taken  from 
us  ?  Oh !  are  we  doing  so  because  Christ  died  and  rose 
again  ?  Then  we  are  assuredly  being  prepared  for  future 
happiness  in  the  glorious  heavens.  Let  such  as  believe 
rejoice  that  they  are  adopted  by  grace  and  are  become 
'' children,  and  if  Children  then  heirs — heirs  of  God — 
joint  heirs  with  Christ."  If  we  are  to  die  this  very  hour 
we  know  it  is  well  with  our  souls,  and  we  shall  go  to 
yonder  throng  amid  which  our  little  ones  are  shining  as 
stars.  This  hope  gives  light  to  our  eye,  fortifies  our 
steps,  puts  life  into  our  hearts.  We  walk  as  those  who 
already  see  the  glories  which  have  been  revealed.  On  the 
other  hand,  what  are  we  to  say  to  parents,  bereaved  of 
children,  who  have  not  yet  taken  hold  of  Christ  w4th  the 
hand  of  faith  ?  Did  you  say,  as  the  little  coffin  was  being 
borne  to  the  grave,  "Can  I  bring  back  my  child  ?"  no,  ''  I 
shall  go  to  him  ?"  Are  you  now  exclaiming  on  this  wise 
as  you  behold  the  empty  crib,  as  you  call  up  the  dear 
form,  as  you  think  of  your  lost  treasure  ?  Is  this  with  you 
a  mere  sentiment  ?  Are  you  living  in  sin  and  still  saying, 
you  are  to  go  to  your  child  ?  Remember  it  is  impossible 
for  you  to  see  that  loved  one,  unless  you  are  taking  the 
accredited  way  to  salvation.  What  to  do,  is  beautifully 
set  before  us  in  that  exquisite  story  of  'MVee  Davie,"  so 
tenderly  told  by  Norm^an  Macleod.  There  was  the 
mighty  blacksmith  whose  one  child  Vv^as  the  pride  of  his 
heart  and  the  joy  of   his  hearth.     Nevertheless   he   would 


24  CHILDREN  D  YING  IN  INFANCY. 

Steal  away  to  the  tavern  in  the  nights  following  his  days 
of  toil.  He  came  home  at  mid-night— often  the  fiend,  his 
soul  turned  away  from  even  himself  in  consequence  of 
these  orgies.  At  last  "Wee  Davie"  took  ill.  Doctors 
could  do  nothing  to  save  the  darling.  The  mother's  love 
did  not  restrain  the  hand  of  death.  The  child  died. 
He  was  buried.  And  then  the  blacksmith  repaired  to  his 
workshop.  There  he  got  the  iron  whited  to  the  utmost 
by  making  the  bellows  move  with  his  giant's  grasp.  Then 
he  placed  the  iron  on  the  anvil,  and  as  he  struck  huge 
blows,  and  set  the  hot  sparks  flying — expressive  of  his 
resentment  against  Heaven  for  taking  the  boy  from  him 
— all  at  once  he  began  to  think.  ''What  am  I  who  dare 
act  in  this  way  ?  Has  not  God  taken  my  child 
because  of  the  life  I  am  leading  ?  Yes.  Let  me  stop  this 
course  HERE,  O  my  Saviour,  whom  I  have  so  offended, 
and  devote  myself  to  Thee."  He  became  a  christian,  was 
chosen  afterwards  to  be  an  elder,  and  spent  many  years 
for  Christ.  Who  can  doubt  that  man  as  well  as  his  devot- 
ed wife  could  say  all  along  but  especially  when  dying,  ''I 
shall  go  to  my  child  ?"  And  so,  dear  friends,  we  counsel 
you  to  turn  from  iniquity,  seek  the  Lord,  follow  Jesus,  and 
your  sorrow  will  be  turned  into  the  joy  of  again  seeing  the 
dear  one  that  has  been  taken  from  your  gaze. 

"  Could  you  too  say,  my  dearest  friend, 

If  called  this  hour  to  die, 
I'm  going  straight  to  my  child's  arms, 

Up  to  the  Throne  on  hign?" 


CHILDREN  DYING  IN  INFANCY.  25 

II.     There    is    the    other    conviction    of  David.      ''He 
shall  not  return  to  me."     The  psalmist  feels  it  is  well  with 
his  son.     The  ground  of  this  welfare  is  the  mercy  of  God 
in  the  Saviour  who  is  to  come.     The  blood    which  is  to  be 
shed — in    fulfillment   of   the    promises   of   God    and    the 
sacrifices   which  were    continually  offered  by  the  priests — 
would  cover   all  inherited    sin,  as   Vv^ell    as    in  the    case  of 
believers  the  guilt  incurred  through  transgression.     There 
was,  therefore,  a    well    defined    faith   when   a   child    like 
his  was  taken  away  before  the   time   of  actual  responsible 
disobedience,  that  God    would   freely   wash   away   the  in- 
herited evil,  because  of  His  satisfaction  with  the  Messiah's 
death.     Our  Lord  himself  makes  this  clear  in  His  memor- 
able address  to  the  disciples.     ''Suffer   little    children    to 
come    unto    me,  and    forbid   them    not,  for   of  such  is  the 
Kingdom  of  heaven."     While  without   doubt   referring  in 
this  sentence  to  the  precious  truth,  that  children  while    in 
life  are  peculiarly  fitted  for  His  realm  of  grace,  the  invita- 
tion to  little  children    to.  come  unto    Him,  along  with  the 
added  statement,  "  Of  such  is  the  Kingdom    of   heaven," 
find  their  fullest  meaning  in  the  examples  of  babes   called 
by  the  heavenly  Father  to  their  eternal  home.     Our  Savi- 
our when  once  more  dealing  with  this  subject,  we  are  told, 
took  a  little  child  and  set  him  in  the  midst  of  the  disciples, 
and  said,  "Verily  I  say  unto  you,  except  ye  be  converted, 
and  become  as  little  children  ye  shall    not  enter   into   the 
Kingdom  of  heaven."     Is  it  not  significant  that  He   adds 
after  a  series  of  warnings,  "  Take  heed  that  ye  despise  not 
one  of  these  little  ones  ;  for  I  say  unto  you,  That  in  heaven 


26  CHILDREN  D  YING  IN  INFANC  Y. 

their  angels  do  always  behold  the  face  of  my  Father  which 
is  in  heaven?  "  This  matter  is  thus  made  sure  to  our 
minds.  The  blood  of  Jesus  is  shed  for  the  remission  of 
all  sins.  Those  who  believe  in  Him  have  their  guilt  re- 
moved because  of  His  sacrifice.  Our  dear  ones  dying  in 
infancy  are  not  responsible,  because  they  are  not  capable 
of  actual  transgression.  The  sin  they  brought  with  them 
into  the  world  is  washed  away.  Dying  then  in  early  life, 
they  go  at  once  to  Jesus  and  are  enfolded  in  His  arms. 
What  a  comfort  have  we  in  this  thought!  We  have  lost 
precious  ones  when  just  opening  their  eyes  to  the  light  of 
day.  They  have  gone  with  Him  who  created  them.  Yes, 
you  should  not  now  mourn  as  those  who  are  without  hope. 
Your  precious  off-spring  have  a  location.  They  are  not 
dead,  though  the  grave  hath  cast  its  gloomy  shadow  over 
you  and  your  household.  They  are  living  because  they 
inherited  an  immortal  nature.  To  their  souls,  passing 
from  these  tiny  bodies  at  the  moment  you  are  hovering 
over  them  in  their  last  struggles,  God  is  imparting  eternal 
life  which  was  purchased  for  them  by  His  son.  What  a 
consolation  it  becomes,  when  you  mourn,  you  need  not 
weep  bitter  tears!  You  may  be  assured  they  are  now 
constituting  part  of  the  Father's  house,  and  that  truly 
many  of  the  mansions  prepared  by  the  risen  and  ascended 
Lord  are  occupied  by  those  you  love. 

And  would  you,  then,  even  if  you  could,  dear  father, 
dear  mother,  looking  upon  the  little  treasures  of  clothing, 
of  toy?,  of  helps  to  feed  and  nourish — would  you,  we  ask, 
seek  to  bring  back   your  child    from  the  home    whither  it 


CHILDREN  D  YING  IN  INFANC  V.  27 

has  gone?  Here  indeed  is  a  mystery  of  the  human  heart 
that,  while  you  left  nothing  untried  to  save  the  life  of 
your  babe,  now  it  has  pleased  the  Heavenly  Father  to 
take  it  away,  you  would  do  nothing  to  bring  it  back.  At 
least  this  is  the  language  of  faith.  ''Itisvv^ell  with  my 
child."  Having  such  conviction,  you  would  not  have  him 
returned  to  this  world  of  sin,  of  trial,  of  suffering,  of  tears 
and  anguish.  Your  little  one  is  now  happy  with  God. 
You  would  not  rob  him  of  that  joy.  You  can  think  of 
your  boy,  your  girl,  as  now  "playing  with  the  children  in 
the  streets  of  the  New  Jerusalem."  You  would  not  have 
him  come  back  to  these  crowded  thoroughfares,  where 
there  is  so  much  wickedness.  Think  then  of  the  deep 
meaning  which  may  thus  be  given  your  words, — "he  shall 
not  return  to  me."  There  is  acquiescence  on  your  part  in 
the  will  of  God.  You  have  brought  your  tears  and 
anguish  to  the  point  of  saying,  ''Thy  will,  not  mine,  be 
done,"  and  you  would  not  revoke  that  sentence  for  the 
world.  Nor  can  we  fail  to  notice  what  even  careless 
parents  feel  when  burying  their  dead  child.  They  have 
a  notion  of  the  welfare  of  their  son  or  daughter  being 
made  sure.  From  my  experience  as  pastor,  I  can  say, 
"it  is  marvellous  hov/  mxuch  faith  of  a  general  kind  shows 
itself  even  with  drunken,  vicious,  infidel  people  at  the 
funerals  of  their  children."  Why  do  they  want  the 
minister,  then,  to  say  a  word  of  kindness  to  their  hearts  ? 
Is  there  not,  on  the  part  of  the  wicked,  an  almost 
universal  testimony  to  the  value  of  religion  given  by 
them    in    their   bereavements  ?      We   have    no   fear    for 


28  CHILDREN  D  YIiXG  IN  INFANCY. 

Christianity,  when  it  so  commends  itself  in  the  hour  of 
sorrow  to  those  who  in  their  ordinary  conduct  despise 
and  reject  it. 

But,  my  dear  friends,  there  is  much  more  than  this  in 
the  words,  "he  shall  not  return  tome."  These  children 
going  to  God  in  their  infancy,  you  know,  are  to  live  in 
His  presence.  Do  you  imagine,  when  you  go  to  heaven 
yourself,  you  will  know  your  own  child?  You  remember 
how  Joseph  knew  his  brethren,  but  they  knev/  him  not, 
and  why  ?  Just  because  they  were  full  grown  men  when 
cruelly  selling  their  brother  to  the  Ishmaelites.  They  had 
now  almost  the  same  appearance  as  then,  but  Joseph  the 
laddie  was  matured,  changed — he  was  the  full-grown 
man.  And  so  methinks  it  will  be  when  you  reach 
the  other  shore.  It  may  be  that  many  years  have  to 
pass  before  you  die.  And  do  you  think  these  infants 
are  to  remain  babes  all  through  eternity  ?  No.  We  regard 
a  child  dying  as  a  seed  planted  in  the  soil  of  Heaven  and 
sure  to  grow.  Indeed,  it  is  my  own  feeling  they  will 
attain  a  loftier  stature  and  sooner  there  than  here.  For, 
you  must  remember,  the  conditions  will  ihen  be  far  more 
favorable  to  growth.  You  know  well  that  the  tree,  which 
in  a  cold  and  barren  soil  is  stunted,  poor  in  foliage,  and 
fruitless,  transplanted  to  a  garden  enriched  with  fertilizmg 
substances  and  enjoying  genial  sunshine  and  plentiful 
rain,  will  then  become  mighty  in  its  stature,  be  clothed 
with  beauty,  and  will  yield  abundant  fruit.  So  I  believe 
it  to  be  with  these  infants  going  thus  to  God.  They 
could  not   know  anything   while   with    you,  but  now  they 


CHILDREN  D  YING  IN  INFANCY.  29 

have  become  mighty  intelligences — full  of  wisdom.  They 
never  learned  what  faith  meant,  bat  think  of  the  assurance 
with  which  they  take  part  in  the  services  of  the  Sanctuary 
above.  However  much  you  loved  them,  they  could  not, 
like  the  glassy  lake,  return  your  light  to  you,  but  now 
their  hearts  are  enlarged,  their  capacity  for  devotion  has 
widened,  their  praise  of  God  is  far  more  real  than  ours. 
And  withal  being  not  only  free  of  sin,  but  made  holy  and 
reflecting  the  light  of  Christ's  countenance  directly  shin- 
ing upon  them,  imagine  their  power  of  thought,  of 
meditation,  of  discovery!  Think  you,  they  will  be  ignorant 
of  the  laws  of  nature  as  they  bask  under  the  Sun  of  their 
souls  ?  Do  you  fancy  they  will  not  know  God,  even  as 
they  are  known,  now  that  they  can  gaze  into  the  very 
countenance  of  their  Father  ?  All  our  knowledge  of  the 
Truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  is  as  nothing  compared  with  theirs 
who  are  continually  enjoying  His  presence.  The 
mysteries  of  the  Holy  Ghost  are  being  more  fully  disclos- 
ed to  them  than  to  us.  And  if  society  improves  us — if 
we  grow  intellectually,  morally,  spiritually,  when  with 
good  men,  what  will  it  be  with  your  beloved  ones  enjoying 
day  and  night — as  we  say — the  blessed  company  of  the 
redeem.ed  ?  Nay  more,  we  have  no  proper  conception  of 
the  angelic  throng,  of  the  hosts  of  mighty  intelligences  in 
the  Kingdom  of  heaven,  of  the  vast  range  and  orders  of 
the  glorified,  but  all  this  is  familar  to  those  awakened — as 
your  children — with  the  likeness  of  God.  I  believe  that 
at  first  you  will  not  know  your  own  child. 


30  CHILDREN  DYING  IN  INFANCY. 

But   there   is  far  more  in  the     words,  "  he   shall  not  re- 
turn to  me,"  than  even  this.     I  spoke  of  the  awful  mystery 
of  children   dying   and   in   such   multitudes.     Go  to   the 
cemeteries   and   behold  the   vast   throng   of   tiny  graves. 
What  does  it  all  mean  ?     Ah,  now   I  see.     It   means   that 
heaven   is   not   to   have   a   small   number   of  the   saved. 
However  much  discouraged  as  we  look  upon  the  few  who 
are  entering  in  at  the  strait  gate  and  pursuing  the  narrow 
v/ay,  and  the  many    taking    the   wide  gate  and  the  broad 
road  that  leadeth  to  destruction,  imagine  not  the    inherit- 
ance  above   is   going  to  be  a  sort  of   failure  for   want  of 
souls  saved  by  Christ.     We   have  no  means  of  seeing  the 
multitudes  who  have  been   brought   out  of  darkness  into 
marvellous  light ;  but  this  we  do  know,  the  children   who 
haved  passed   away   in  early  life   are  going  to  constitute 
countless  millions  themselves.     Think  of  it,  not  only  your 
babe  will   be   there,  but   the   many  children   you  know  to 
have  been  removed.     Think  of   the  little  ones  thus  dying 
in  our  own  city  during  this  generation,  but   what  of  those 
of  other  generations  saved   by  the  blood  of  Christ  ?     Try 
to  conceive  the  many  dear  ones  passing  away  at  this  very 
moment   throughout  the    earth  !     They   are  entering  into 
the  light  beyond.     Nay,  think  of  the  children  of   all  lands 
and  all  times  thus  redeemed  and  now  glorified  !     We  need 
not  fear  for  the  countless  throngs  of  children   thus   dying 
in    countries    we    call    heathen,    still    wanting   in  Gospel 
privileges.     They   have  been   bought  back   with  the  pre- 
cious blood.     They  are  now  in  the  Kingdom  above.     Let 
us  take  courage  with  the  mystery  of  life  thus  so  far  solved. 


CHILDREN  D  YING  IN  INFANCY.  31 

and  lift  up  our  e3'es  from  this  side  of  the  Jordan,  and  behold 
in  the  Kingdom,  where  Jesus  is  the  centre,  the  company 
of  the  redeemed  little  ones  which  no  man  can  number.  It 
is  a  perfect  inspiration  to  one's  soul  who  thus  gazes  into 
eternity,  sees  the  reality  and  has  the  vision  of  the  almighty 
King,  the  author  of  the  life  and  glory  of  these  vast 
multitudes. 

Ah  those  little  ice-cold  fingers, 

How  they  point  our  memories  back 
To  the  hasty  words  and  actions, 

Strewn  along  our  backward  track. 
How  those  little  hands  remind  us, 

As  in  snowy  grace  they  lie. 
Not  to  scatter  thorns  but  roses 

For  our  reaping  by  and  by. 


New  York,  August  29th,  1895. 
Rev.  David  Mitchell, 
Dear  Sir: 

We  cannot  adequately  express  to  you  our  sympathy  in  the  great 
grief  which  has  entered  your  family  in  the  sudden  death  of  your  boy.  It  has  removed 
from  our  office  circle  one  who  as  an  example  of  pure  character  and  high  sense  of  duty 
could  not  well  be  spared.  He  came  into  our  office  with  no  especial  claim  to  our 
interest,  and  yet  by  doing  well  whatever  he  was  asked  to  do,  he  soon  attracted  ihe 
attention  of  older  men  who  were  always  glad  to  have  David  assist  them.  In  this  way 
he  was  detached  to  the  Columbia  College  work  at  the  request  of  the  Superintendent, 
Mr.  Vanderbent.  It  seemed  to  be  a  great  opportunity  for  him,  and  while  we  should 
have  been  glad  to  have  kept  him  in  the  office,  we  considered  it  directly  in  the  line  of 
promotion  for  him  to  learn  something  of  actual  construction  at  this  time.  That  this 
disaster  should  follow  so  closely  is  a  great  blow  to  us  all  and  has  made  a  great 
impression  upon  this  office,  where  he  was  universally  esteemed.  While  it  is  perhaps 
no  great  consolation  in  your  present  grief,  it  must  surely  be  a  satisfaction  to  you  to 
feel  that  your  son  was  in  every  way  worthy,  and  that  his  example  of  an  upright, 
faithful  life  will  not  be  lost  upon  the  j'oung  men  with  whom  he  has  been  associated. 
With  assurance  to  you  and  your  family  of  our  most  hearty  sympathy,  we  are 

Very  sincerely  j'ours, 

McKIM,  MEAD  &  WHITE. 


I've  found  the  pearl  of  greatest  price  ! 

My  heart  doth  sing  for  joy  ; 
And  sing  I  must,  for  Christ  is  mine, 

Christ  shall  my  song  employ  ! 
Christ  is  my  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King  ; 

My  prophet  full  of  light, 
My  great  High  Priest  before  the  throne, 

My  King  of  heavenly  light. 
Christ  Jegus  is  my  All  in  All, 

My  comfort,  and  my  love  ; 
My  life  belovi^ ;  and  He  shall  be 

My  joy  and  crown  above. 


CHRIST  THE  TRUTH. 
SERMON  III. 

''Pilate  said  unto  hi/n,  what  is  truth?     Jesus  said  unto 
him,  I  AM  THE  TRUTH. — JOHN  xviii:  38. — JOHN  xiv:  6. 

There  is  something  very  striking  in  this  expression, 
"I  am  the  Way,  and  the  Truth,  and  the  Life."  In  these 
words  we  have  the  beginning,  the  middle,  and  the  ending 
of  a  christian's  career.  When  he  begins  his  new  course 
it  is  through  Christ  the  Way.  When  he  is  found  continu- 
ing, it  is  by  Christ  the  Truth.  And  when  after  conver- 
sion he  enters  into  the  joys  of  life  or  after  death  he 
becomes  the  possessor  of  heaven,  it  is  by  Christ  the 
Life.  While,  however,  these  three  thoughts  may  be 
viewed  as  separate,  they  are  so  much  one  that  they  can- 
not be  severed  from  one  another.  Christ  is  the  Truth 
and  therefore  He  is  the  Way  as  the  teacher  to  the  Truth. 
He  is  the  Life  because  He  is  the  truth  which  gives  life. 
Like  a  river,  the  Messiah  or  the  Christ  is  three  in  one. 
The  river  is  the  way  to  the  ocean  whither  you  are  bound. 
It  is  also  the  element  bearing  up  the  vessel  as  she 
advances  on  this  way.  And  it  is  that  which,  being  con- 
nected with  the  ocean  or  really  becomes  part  of  it,  brings 
the  ship  at  length  to  the  mighty    deep.     So  Christ  is  the 


34  *  CHRIST  THE   TRUTH. 

Way  to  the  many  mansions  of  which  He  speaks.  He  is 
the  Truth  which  supports  you  while  advancing  on  this 
Way.  And  He  is  the  Life  in  as  much  as  being  thus  up- 
held while  proceeding  on  such  a  path — that  of  honorable 
service — He  will  at  length  bring  you  to  the  deep  sea  of 
eternal  joy, — to  the  quiet  and  happy  rest  which  remains 
for  the  people  of  God/ 

Taking  these  words — ''I  am  the  Truth  " — as  the 
answer  to  the  question,  ''what  is  Truth  ?"  we  will  this 
day  make  them  the  subject  of  our  mutual  and  prayerful 
consideration. 

I.  Now,  we  remark,  in  the  first  place,  that  Christ  is 
the  Truth,  because  He  taught  the  truth  respecting  God. 
There  are  three  great  e^rrors  into  which  men  have  fallen 
with  regard  to  God.  The  first  sets  up  many  false  gods 
to  be  worshipped  by  men.  The  second  represents  Him 
to  be  a  being  of  stern,  unrelenting,  inexorable  justice 
who  can  have  no  sympathy  with  the  sins  and  frailties  of 
mankind.  The  third  speaks  of  Him  as  one  who  will 
readily  overlook  our  iniquity  and  demand  no  adequate 
punishment  for  our  sins.  Now  Jesus  Christ  was  opposed 
to  all  these  views,  i  am  the  truth.  He  says,  because 
He  taught  the  truth  respecting  God. 

As  to  the  first  error — idolatry — this  receives  no  coun- 
tenance from  the  Saviour.  He  was  equally  opposed  to 
the  teaching  of  pagan  philosophers  on  the  subject,  and 
to  the  practices  of  idolatrous  nations.  It  had  ever  been 
the  tendency  of  men  when  left  to  themselves  to  multi- 
ply their  gods.     Even  the  Jewish  people,  notwithstanding 


CHRIST  THE   TRUTH.  35 

their  exalted  and   valuable   privileges  as  the  children  of 
God,  were  prone  to  fall  in    with  the    idolatrous  practices 
of    other    countries.       The    Greeks    aided    by    a    highly 
cultivated    imagination    seemed    to    make    every    object 
around  them  breathe  with  deity.     Their  groves   became 
sacred   spots,    where   deity    manifested    itself   in  artistic 
forms.      Their   temples    were    filled    with    idols.      Their 
great  men  w^ere  elevated  to  the  distinguished  position    of 
being  divine.     The  Romans,  too,  were  degraded  by  their 
idoj   worship.     They  copied  their  imaginative  neighbors 
the  Greeks.     And  the  gods  of  the  one  country  were  often 
transported  to  the  other — to   be  added    to  their  own  list 
of  deities  to  be  held  in  homage.     All  nations  at  the  time 
of  Messiah's  advent  may  be  said  to  have    been— either  in 
spirit  or  form  or  both — idolaters,  worshipping  the  works 
of  their  own  hands,  or  regarding  the  objects  of    creation 
as  their  gods.  But  Christ  came  to  this  world  to  convey  to 
men  the  true  conception  of  God  as    father,  friend.     It  is 
very  noticeable  that  Jesus  does  not  attack  idolatry  open- 
ly and  directly.     With  reverence  be   it  spoken,   it  would 
have  been  out  of- place  to  have  made    such  an    onslought 
in   Judea   where  the    temple    of    Jehovah   was  built  and 
where  the  worship  of  the  living    and    true    God  was   con- 
tinually   observed.     But    He    ever    seeks    to    imbue  the 
minds  of  his  hearers  with  reverence  and  affection  for  the 
Father  above.     And  then  v/ithout  formal  instruction    on 
the  subject,  He  leaves  this  principle  to  speak  for  itself  to 
the  hearts    and    consciences    of    men.     He  thus  seeks  to 
impart   that   law    or   principle    which  when  carried   out 


36  CHRIST  THE   TRUTH. 

would  prevent  the  Jewish  people  from  falling  back  into  the 
idolatrous  practices  of  other  countries,  and  which  when 
preached  to  Gentiles  would  gradually  turn  them  from  the 
absurdities  of  idolatry  to  the  worship  and  service  of  the 
living  God.  For  example  when  He  observed  in  the 
woman  at  the  well  of  Jacob,  that  superstitious  spirit 
which  would  confine  the  worship  of  God  to  some  con- 
secrated place,  such  as  the  mount  on  which  she  said  her 
fathers  had  worshipped.  He  uttered  these  deep  words, 
*'God  is  a  spirit,  and  they  v»'ho  Vvorship  Him  must  wor- 
ship Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  When  by  His  miracles 
He  revealed  that  the  Divine  power  was  within  himself, 
He  did  not  set  himself  up  as  opposed  to  the  God  of 
Abraham,  but  rather  as  that  God  manifest  in  the  flesh. 
Christ  and  the  Father  are  not  two  Gods,  but  He  says, 
''land  the  Father  are  one."  And  then  as  man — ever 
communing  with  the  Father,  ever  realizing  the  presence 
as  of  one  in  heaven,  ever  praying  to  the  Father,  thanking 
the  Father  for  the  countless  and  unceasing  bounties  of 
His  providence, — all  this  is  so  vivid  and  striking  that, 
when  it  has  been  made  our  example,  it  must  banish  all 
idolatrous  feelings  from  our  hearts,  and  the  reality  of 
Christ's  reverence  for  one  Father  and  of  his  love  for  Him 
will  set  forth  the  true  worship  more  powerfully  than  ever 
could  the  profoundest  speculations  regarding  the  nature 
and  attributes  of  Deity. 

As  to  the  second  great  error  that  represents  God  as  a 
being  of  stern,  unrelenting  justice  who  can  have  no 
sympathy  with  the  sins   and    frailties  of   mankind,  Jesus 


CHRIST  THE   TRUTH.  37 

sets  forth  that  God  is  earnestly  desiring  the  salvation  of 
men.  The  distinguishing  merit  of  His  teaching  is  the 
love  and  sympathy  of  God  for  those  who  had  broken  and 
despised  His  laws.  He  says  in  the  memorable  address 
which  arose  from  His  conversation  with  Nicodemus, 
''God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten 
Son  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish  but 
have  everlasting  life."  He  himself  as  the  beloved  Son  of 
the  Father  left  the  heavenly  mansions,  and  thus  as  the 
apostle  says,  "  for  our  sakes  became  poor  that  we  through 
his  poverty  might  be  rich."  The  grand  doctrine  which 
■distinguishes  the  Bible  above  all  other  books  is  that 
of  God's  mercy  towards  sinners.  It  is  where  the  truth 
has  been  wholly  obliterated  or  partially  obscured  we  find 
men  fancying  their  gods  will  not  favor  them,  or  give 
heed  to  their  prayers,  until  they  have  torn  their  own 
flesh,  or  offered  some  victim  to  appease  their  wrath.  The 
■poor  heathen  tearing  his  hair,  or  inflicting  so  many 
•lashes  upon  his  body,  the  deluded  seeker  after  a  right- 
eousness of  his  own  lying  naked  on  a  bed  of  nails,  or 
starving  his  body,  or  giving  to  priest  craft  the  pence  which 
he  has  earned  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow  ;  aye  too,  the 
self-righteous  amongst  ourselves  who  goes  through  the 
services  of  his  church  as  if  doing  some  meritorious  work 
^-all  with  the  notion  of  pleasing  God — gives  a  most  de- 
grading view  of  the  deity.  If  we  would  learn  the  truth, 
let  us  look  to  Christ.  Here  is  the  God  of  heaven  and  of 
earth — manifest  in  the  flesh — visiting  sinful  men  in  the 
fullness  of  his  mercy.     Let  those  who  tell  us  God  is  stern 


38  CHRIST  THE   TRUTH. 

regard  Christ  as  he  sojourns  upon  the  earth.  Let 
them  say,  Is  God  hard,  unrelenting  when  He,  who  is 
His  own  everlasting  Son,  is  seen  sitting  at  the  same  table 
with  publicans  and  sinners  ?  He  who  gave  a  brother's 
hand  to  a  Magdalene,  who  would  not  comdemn  another 
poor  sister  whom  all  the  Pharisees  scornfully  called  a  sinner, 
who  would  not  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the  blind  when  they 
earnestly  asked  to  receive  their  sight,  who  had  compass- 
ion on  the  multitude  when  without  bread  in  a  desert  place; 
He  who  continually  shone  with  the  pure  beams  of  benev- 
olence; He  who  at  last  gave  himself  up  to  the  awful 
death  of  the  cross  that  poor  sinners  like  us  might  have 
a  way  of  access  unto  God  ;  He  who,  to  save  others  could 
not  save  himself,  is  the  great  Teacher  enlightening  men: 
regarding  the  Divine  compassion.  Ever  from  His  lips 
pours  forth  the  voice  of  mercy.  For  the  first  time  in  the 
clearest  light,  not  only  by  words,  but  through  the  per- 
sonality of  the  Saviour,  God  is  set  before  men  as  their 
heavenly  father,  as  their  brother — the  husband  of  the 
church,  the  dresser  of  the  vineyard,  the  shepherd  of  his 
flock.  What  precious  figures  these  are  !  They  set  forth 
God  strikingly  and  simply  in  the  attitude  of  mercy.  And, 
therefore,  Christ  authoritatively  says,  I  AM  THE  TRUTH,, 
because  having  shown  himself  merciful  to  sinful  men  He 
thus  teaches  that  loving  compassion  is  an  attribute  of  the 
divine  character. 

The  tJiird  error  sets  forth  God  as  a  being  who  will 
readily  overlook  our  sins  and  demand  no  adequate  punish- 
ment upon  the  guilty.     So  dark  by  nature  are  the  hearts  o£ 


CHRIST  THE   TRUTH.  39 

'  men  with  respect  to  the  character  of  God  that  a  sort  of  sen- 
timental belief  in  his  mercy  has  become  almost  universally 
current.  The  heathen,  scourging  himself  at  one  moment 
to  please  his  gods,  fancies  after  such  religious  service  he 
is  free  to  do  what  he  likes  best — to  commit  even  the 
terrible  crime  of  murder.  Then  while  the  blood  of  the 
victim  is  yet  reeking  on  his  knife,  he  may  go  back  to  his 
temple  and  do  penance  as  before.  Nor  is  this  view  con- 
fined to  pagans.  Amongst  many  others  the  doctrines  of 
penance  and  absolution  are  openly  avowed.  In  all  our 
churches  what  numbers  who  are  lulling  their  consciences 
to  sleep,  allowing  themselves  to  dwell  only  upon  the 
goodness  and  mercy  of  God  to  the  exclusion  of  Infinite 
Justice  which  necessarily  inheres  in  his  character.  It  is 
from  Christ,  in  truth,  we  derive  a  knowledge  of  the  Divine 
justice.  He  reveals  how  justice  blends  and  harmonizes 
with  mercy,  how  God  is  just  and  yet  the  forgiver  of  sin, 
.  but  how  He  cannot  forgive  transgression  if  His  justice 
will  thereby  be  impaired.  To  Christ's  life  we  must  look 
as  furnishing  many  examples  of  this.  We  cannot  point 
to  one  case  of  him  forgiving  sirf  at  the  expense  of  that 
infinite  justice  which  belonged  to  him.  There  is  not  the 
case  of  a  man  having  had  his  sins  blotted  out  by  Christ 
without  first  coming  to  Him^  and  believing  upon  him. 
That  Jesus  claimed  the  right  to  forgive  must  be  conceded, 
and  that  He  grounded  that  right  upon  his  own  personal 
merits — tipon  the  merits  above  all  of  His  sacrificial  death — 
must  be  apparent  to  every  one  who  studies  his  life  and 
discourses.     Why  then  does  He  demand   personal  faith  in 


40  CHRIST  THE   TRUTH. 

himself  as  the  basis  on  which  forgiveness  of  sins  may  be 
pronounced  ?  The  simple  answer  is,  because  His  life  and 
death  were  a  sacrifice  for  sin.  AVhat  the  Saviour  sets 
before  us  is  that  (rod  is  merciful  and  ready  to  forgive, 
that  He  hates  sin.  He  loves  the  sinner.  Accordingly 
while  those  who  come  to  him  simply  believing  in  Him 
have  invariably  their  sins  forgiven,  see,  how  differently 
He  treats  the  hypocritical — those  who  are  grievous  sinners 
in  the  sight  of  God,  but  who  make  light  of  their  sins  and 
assume  at  the  same  time  a  sanctimonious  aspect.  He 
cannot  help  showing  his  scorn  of  them.  He  calls  them  by 
the  right  name.  Here  then  in  Christ  we  have  exhibited 
that  justice  which  cannot  allow  mere  compassion  to 
interfere  with  its  rightful  exercise.  Thus  Christ 
reveals  to  man  what  God  is.  On  account  of  the  perfect 
Sacrifice  which  was  made  to  satisfy  Divine  justice,  He 
presents  himself  a  merciful  God  to  his  erring  children. 
He  will  forgive  if  we  come  to  him  sincerely  in  the  name 
of  His  Son.  But  He  can  never  overlook  the  conduct  of 
the  unrepenting  wicked.  Those  who  love  their  evil  and 
will  not  come  to  Him,  must  remain  where  they  are — 
outside  of  God.  God's  justice  is  a  hedge  of  thorns  around 
his  own  character.  Just  as  surely  as  Christ  condemned 
the  Pharisees,  so  are  all  those  condemned  who  say  to 
themselves  regarding  their  iniquities.  ''God  will  not 
be  so  exacting  as  all  that.  Surely  He  w^ill  have  mercy 
upon  a  poor  sinner  like  me.  Surely  He  cannot  punish 
one  who  in  other  respects  is  so  amiable  and  good."  But 
this,  my  friends,  is  bidlding  upon  the  sand. 


CHRIST  THE   TRUTH.  41 

II.  ^\q  YQvndir^,  in  the  second  place,  that  Christ  is  the 
Truth,  because  as  man  He  showed  forth  mans  true 
condition. 

He  was  true,  since  in  him  as  man  there  is  exhibited 
all  that  is  noble  and  good.  Christ  is  the  man.  His  is 
ideal  manhood.  He  lived  the  truth.  There  was  ever  a 
harmony  between  his  words  and  deeds.  There  is  not 
one  sermon  spoken  throughout  the  whole  course  of  his 
life  that  jars  with  one  single  work.  He  was  before  men 
just  what  He  was  in  the  presence  of  God.  He  was 
''holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  separate  from  sinners." 
The  thought  of  God's  presence  was  joy  to  him.  That 
elevated,  but  did  not  depress  him.  He  could  go  from  the 
midst  of  men  to  God,  He  could  come  back  from  prayer 
to  the  very  midst  of  men,  without  as  it  were  casting  off 
one  coat  and  putting  on  another  to  fit  him  for  the 
change.  What,  think  you,  drew  that  poor  weeping 
sinner  to  Jesus,  what  drove  from  him  the  wicked  and 
false  but  this — that  here  was  One  before  them  whom 
every  person  felt  to  be //-//^  ?  The  penitent  knew  they 
could  trust  him.  The  false  at  once  saw  that  his  eye 
pierced  to  the  depths  of  their  souls.  Heaven  smiled 
upon  him.  Hell  frowned.  Ah  !  how  fearfully  was 
Christ's  trueness  of  character  tried.  He  had  to  sail  the 
journey  of  life  amid  storms  atone  time — with  false  lights 
seeking  to  misguide  him  at  another.  But  he  sails 
securely,  and  reaches  the  end  of  his  life  without  one 
stain    on    his    character,    without  one   false    word  ever 


42  CHRIST  THE   TRUTH. 

having  been  breathed  from  his  lips,  without  ever — even 
in  thought — being  faint  or  traitorous  in  the  service  of 
God. 

What  a  contrast  is  Christ  in  life  and  character  to  this 
false  and  miserable  world  !  Now,  the  truth  which  is 
seen  in  Christ's  life  is  this,  that  for  a  man  to  be  happy 
he  must  be  at  one  with  God.  Under  the  furrowed  brow 
— deep  down  in  his  soul — there  was  tranquil  peace.  What 
a  foundation  of  peace  was  expressed  in  the  words — /  and 
the  Father  are  one.  And  He  teaches  by  his  experience  what 
is  precious  truth  for  our  souls  that — if  we  would  attain  his 
peace  and  happiness — we  must  be  united  to  God  and 
living  in  harmony  with  Him.  Christ  teaches  us  that 
without  this  one  needful  thing — union  with  God — we  can 
never  attain  his  tranquility.  Do  what  we  will,  without  this 
union,  we  will  ever  be  far  from  true  happiness.  That  is 
no  unmeaning  picture  of  life  which  represents  men  in 
their  various  pursuits  after  happiness — some  trying  social 
pleasures,  others  climbing  the  ladder  of  ambition,  others 
following  lust  with  keen  desire — and  the  life  of  every  one 
ending  like  the  bursting  of  a  bauble.  But  let  us  begin 
by  putting  ourselves  in  a  right  relation  with  God — loving 
Him  as  a  father,  obeying  Him  as  our  master — and  we  will 
be  at  rest.  This  is  the  teaching  of  Christ's  life.  He  lived 
this  truth  that  union  with  God  is  man's  true  condition. 

But  let  us  here  remark  that  Christ  comes  to  us  and  finds 
men  everywhere  without  union  with  God.  We  are  all  in  a 
wrong  state,  like  a  river  out  of  its  channel  and  producing 
waste  marshes,  instead  of  imparting  richness  to  the  soil  as 


CHRIST  THE   TRUTH.  43 

it  would  were  it  flowing  in  its  right  course.  As  evidence  of 
this  Jesus  came  to  the  world,  but  the  world  knew  him 
not.  It  regarded  him  a  stranger  rather  than  a  friend,  and 
so  turned  its  back  upon  him.  Men  by  nature  are 
condemned  in  God's  sight.  They  are  His  enemies.  But 
now  Christ  as  the  Truth  comes  to  man  and  points  the  way 
to  union  with  God — points  him  to  the  prospect  of  becoming 
true  to  God,  to  his  fellow-creatures,  and  to  himself. 
What  keeps  man  from  the  state  for  which  he  was 
originally  intended — from  union  with  God  ?  It  is  sin — 
sin  unpardoned.  It  is  guilt  not  washed  away.  Christ 
comes  and  solves  the  deep  problem  of  human  life,  as  to 
how  man's  sins  shall  be  pardoned,  as  to  how  his  guilt  shall 
be  washed  away.  He  the  pure  and  holy  Son  of  God 
must  needs  die.  That  Divine  justice  which  in  his  life  He 
showed  forth  demands  a  perfect  sacrifice  to  be  offered 
before  man  can  be  restored.  Here  is  the  Truth  which  man 
needs.  "  No  man  can  come  unto  the  Father  except  by 
me."  On  our  believing  Christ  depends  whether  we  shall 
realize  the  Truth.  The  truth  of  the  Gospel  is  this — Faith 
in  the  Saviour  makes  him  your  substitute.  Your  sins  will 
then  be  blotted  out.  You  will  be  justified  as  though  you 
had  not  sinned.  From  this  seed  there  will  grow  up  within 
you  a  renewed  nature.  Thus  changed  and  growing  in  grace 
God's  smile  will  be  upon  you.  Here  will  be  union  with 
your  Father  in  heaven.  From  this  union  you  will  have 
peace.  Then  you  will  become  true  in  life  and  character. 
Your  prayer  to  God  will  not  be  a  mockery.  It  will 
harmonize  with  your  life.     You  will  deal  in  love  with  your 


44  CHRIST  THE   TRUTH. 

fellow-creatures.  Your  children  you  will  train  in  the 
fear  and  love  of  God.  Your  neighbours  you  will  love,  and 
you  will  seek  to  do  them  good.  And  you  also  will  be  true 
to  yourself — employing  your  noble  talents  aright — having 
the  foundation  of  truth,  and  seeking  to  grow  more  and 
more  in  the  knov>  ledge  of  it. 

III.  In  the  tJiird  place  we  have  to  remark  that  Christ 
as  the  TriitJi  reveals  man's  true  destiny.  There  is  one 
thing  must  strike  us  when  regarding  the  Saviour  and  that 
is  the  authority  with  which  He  speaks  of  the  future.  He 
does  not  labor  to  prove  to  his  hearers  that  there  shall  be 
an  eternity.  He  speaks  of  the  future  in  a  natural  manner 
as  though  it  were  already  present  with  him.  With  regard 
to  that  eternity  awaiting  all  men,  He  teaches  there  are 
two  states  in  which  men  shall  be  found — the  one  of  misery, 
the  other  of  joy.  Here  are  his  own  words.  "  He  that 
believeth  hath  everlasting  life;  he  that  believeth  not  shall 
not  see  life,  because  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him." 
Instead  of  mocking  Christ  when  teaching  this  as  the  truth, 
just  ask  your  own  hearts.  ''  Is  Christ  one  likely  to 
declare  anything  which  He  did  not  know  to  be  true  ? " 
Remember  He  does  not  give  it  forth  as  a  matter  of 
opinion,  that  there  is  to  be  a  future  state.  He  gives  it 
forth  authoritatively  as  a  matter  of  experience.  Now,  for 
a  moment  just  ask,  "Is  He  one  likely  to  declare  this 
unless  he  knew  it  to  be  truth.'"  Even  though  Christ  had 
not  declared  the  truth  regarding  the  state  beyond  death, 
yet  the  Spirit  of  his  teaching  would  point  it  out  to  a 
reasoning  and  reflective  mind.     liut  the  point  is  having  so 


CHRIST  THE   TRUTH.  45 

declared,  it  is  on  our  peril  that  we  do  not  receive  it. 
Christ  is  the  first  who  teaches  this  truth  from  the  personal 
ground  of  having  been  with  the  Father,  of  having  come 
from  the  Father,  and  now  going  to  Him.  He  comes  to 
you  not  only  with  such  words  addressed  to  you,  but  with 
the  fact  of  his  own  resurrection.  And  there — we  can  add 
— is  a  wonderful  teaching  of  this  great  truth.  The  diffi- 
culty we  have  in  receiving  the  doctrine  of  a  future  life  is 
that  we  cannot  see  beyond  death.  We  may  not  be  able  to 
conceive  of  a  man  coming  to  life  again.  But  Christ  is  a 
case  in  point.  The  days  He  spent  with  his  disciples  after 
his  resurrection  were  the  true  beginning  of  his  reign  as 
King.  There  was  the  future  life  of  one  begun  as  we  regard 
it.  And  so  He  teaches  shall  all  rise.  He  speaks  of  the 
many  mansions  in  his  Father's  house,  and  He  speaks  no 
less  authoritatively  of  the  awful  perdition  of  the  wicked. 

Here  then  we  have  the  sum  and  substance  of  the  Truth 
which  Christ  Jesus  exemplified  and  taught.  /  am  the 
Truths  because  the  Father  dwelleth  in  me,  and  His  charac- 
ter is  seen  in  my  life.  /  am  the  Truth,  because  as  man  I 
have  shown  His  right  condition  as  at  one  with  God.  I  am 
the  Truth,  because  having  shown  man's  right  condition  to 
be  one  with  Him,  I  tell  you  this,  such  union  shall  never  be 
severed.  Those  who  are  at  peace  with  Him  now  shall  be 
at  peace  with  Him  for  ever. 

Brethren  we  have  before  us  principles  which  it  well 
becomes  us  to  prize.  If  we  have  them  in  our  hearts  we 
will  be  led  to  adore  God,  to  be  true  to  our  elevated 
nature  and  to  live  in  vievv'  of  the  dawn  of  that  morn  when 


46  CHRIST  THE   TRUTH. 

the  congregation  of  the  redeemed  shall  swell  the  notes 
of  heaven  with  their  praises  of  Christ  the  Truth.  Here 
are  principles  which  shall  secure  our  freedom  from  many- 
forms  of  bondage,  more  surely  than  a  slave  delivered  by  a 
friendly  hand  from  chains  and  prison  is  free;  so  is  the 
Christian  called  to  rejoice  in  a  liberty  that  is  lasting  and 
is  the  beginning  of  all  true  happiness.  It  may  be  thought 
we  can  do  little  to  clear  up  such  a  subject  as  we  have 
before  us.  But  then  our  small  knowledge  of  the  precious 
gospel  of  Christ  is  but  a  lantern  in  the  hand.  While 
of  no  use  in  the  midst  of  the  blaze  of  day,  when 
the  sun's  light  penetrates  every  spot  of  earth,  yet  of  what 
advantage  the  lamp  in  the  darkness  of  night.  And  what 
does  our  feeble  light  do  ?  It  does  not  open  the  scenery, 
or  reveal  the  river  or  mountain  at  a  distance.  It  shoW'S 
us  one  step  to  be  taken.  When  we  take  that  one  step  v/e 
do  not  pitch  aside  our  lantern  but,  having  found  benefit 
from  it,  we  carry  it  with  us.  Then  the  lantern  shows  our 
next  step.  And  there  is  the  great  law.  Ever  having 
Christ  our  bright  lamp  by  night  we  are  led  to  our  first 
step,  and  still  carrying  Him  to  every  succeeding  step — to 
every  new  effort,  to  every  added  word,  to  each  separate 
undertaking. 


PRAYER. 


O  God,  in  our  sorrow  let  thine  illuminating  Truth  come  into  our 
hearts.  Cheer  us  with  Thy  presence,  our  covenant  keeping  Redeemer. 
Thou,  O  Jesus,  art  the  truth,  revealing  the  true  nature  of  our 
Father.  Thou  art  opposed  to  idolatry,  Thou  art  full  of  mercy.  Thy 
revelation  has  the  back-bone  of  eternal  justice.  "  Mercy  and  truth  are 
met  together,  righteousness  and  peace  have  kissed  each  other. "  We  thank 
Thee,  O  God,  for  the  unspeakable  Gift  as  the  reconciler  of  man  with 
God,  as  our  high  and  bright  example,  and  as  that  One  who  brings  us 
from  sin  to  the  lofty  platform  of  redemption  and  ability  to  accomplish 
holy  purposes.  O,  thou  Almighty,  grant  us  the  Spirit  of  Truth  to  dwell 
within  our  hearts — to  brighten  our  lives — to  cheer  our  sorrows.  Let  us 
not  readily  forget  that  Christ  the  Truth  hath  authoritatively  taught, 
"  In  my  Father's  mance  are  many  mansions."  For  Christ's  sake, 
O  Father,  forgive  and  bless  us.     Amen. 


"  When  quiet  in  my  house  I  sit, 
Thy  book  be  my  companion  still; 

My  joy  thy  sayings  to  repeat, 
^'alk  o'er  the  records  of  thy  will, 

And  search  the  oracles  divine, 

Till  every  heart-felt  word  be  mine." 


THE  BIBLE  AND  HIGHER  CRITICS. 
SERMON  IV; 

Thy  word  is  a  lamp  unto  my  feet,  and  a  light  unto  my 
path. — Psalm  cxix:  105. 

We  believe  there  is  in  this  verse  an  endorsation  by 
David  of  most  of  the  books  of  the  Bible  v\-hich  go  before 
the  Psalms.  This  writer  refers  to  the  Pentateuch,  the 
book  of  Job,  and  the  histories  of  the  peculiar  people  which 
bring  us  to  his  own  time.  When  Christ  commands, 
''Search  the  scriptures,  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have 
eternal  life  and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  me,"  He 
has  before  his  mind  the  writings  of  the  Old  Testament 
very  much  as  we  have  them  in  the  Hebrew  Bible.  He 
quotes  again  and  again  the  words  of  Moses,  as  well  as  of 
the  psalms  and  the  prophets,  and  we  have  therefore  to 
conclude  these  Scriptures  to  be  stamped  with  the  greatest 
authority. 

Here  indeed  is  our  argument  for  the  Bible.  Christ,  who 
is  the  highest  known  Teacher,  quotes  from  the  Sacred 
Volume  and  from  no  other.  In  His  estimation  it  is 
divine.  That  is  enough  for  me  though  countless  able 
critics  should  have  something  to  say  against  it.  We  have 
the  greatest  minds  treating  these  pages  as  true.  They 
look   upon   them  as  gold,   tried  in  the  fire,  purged,    and 


50  THE  BIBLE  AND  HIGHER  CRITICS. 

becoming  all  the  purer  for  the  process.  This  is  what  we 
have  to  say  to  men,  like  modern  agnostics,  former  infidels, 
ho  matter  what  the  objection  you  have  to  Scripture,  "There 
it  stands  accepted  by  the  best  and  most  genuine  critic  the 
world  has  yet  seen. "  Let  me  say,  we  welcome  learning  to 
the  task  of  expounding  the  word  of  God — provided  it  is 
reverential,  thorough,  and  conducted  with  the  view  of 
making  what  is  difficult  plain  and  comprehensive.  We 
know  how  little  priest-craft  did  for  even  the  circulation 
of  Scripture,  and  that  it  was  rather  owing  to  the  earnestness 
of  certain  men,  who  translated  it  into  the  English  language 
in  spite  of  persecution,  that  we  have  the  book  in  its 
received  shape.  Priest-craft  bitterly  opposed  its  transla- 
tion into  the  ordinary  language,  its  circulation,  and 
faithful  exposition.  It  is  certain  to  us  the  day  has  gone 
by  for  preventing  the  Word  having  free  course.  Whether 
we  will  or  not  the  Bible  is  bound  to  be  investigated  and 
made  clear.  For  our  part  we  say  give  the  scholars  the 
utmost  freedom  within  common  sense.  The  more  of  such 
scholarship  we  have  the  better.  We  have  the  two  schools 
of  critical  minds  and  they  must  have  their  way.  They 
may  appear  in  different  proportions,  but  votes  of  the 
majority  are  not  going  to  set  aside  the  minority.  We  are 
sure  in  the  long  run  of  good  coming  from  such  controversy. 
While — being  conservative — disposed  to  hold  to  the  views 
of  our  fathers,  we  say  let  us  give  scholarship  every 
opportunity,  let  us  not  oppose  learned  investigation,  let 
us  not  try  to  crush  the  enquiring  spirit.  The  Bible  is 
certainly  not  to  be  put  down  because  of  scholarly  criticism. 


THE  BIBLE  AND  HIGHER  CRITICS.  51 

We  must  abide  results.  We  see  how  many  inexplicable 
matters  have  become  plain  because  of  such  enquiries. 
Take,  for  example,  the  appendix  chapter  of  the  Pentateuch, 
containing  an  account  of  Moses'  death.  To  the  difficulty 
raised  as  to  the  authorship  of  the  books,  because  Moses 
must  then  have  written  his  own  funeral  oration,  we  have 
to  say  of  course  it  was  added  by  another  hand.  The 
story  of  Joshua  and  the  Sun  standing  still  may  appear 
absurd  to  literal  expositors,  especially  as  with  the  aid  of 
Science  they  can  say  it  must  rather  have  been  the  earth 
that  stood  still,  seeing  the  relation  of  the  Sun  to  our  globe 
is  caused  by  the  motions  of  the  latter.  It  is  surely 
evident  we  have  here  a  poetic  description  of  the  continu- 
ance of  a  day  into  the  night,  such  as  we  have  often 
witnessed.  Whether  the  theory  is  to  be  applied  of  Moses 
not  being  the  actual  writer  may  be  seen  in  the  course  of  time, 
but  to  us  there  is  no  practical  difficulty  in  regarding  him  the 
author  even  if  proved  that  some  other  pen  in  an  after  time 
wrote  the  Pentateuch.  If  these  writings  were  handed  down 
from  one  to  another  in  atraditional  form  until  they  were 
committed  to  writing,  in  our  view  they  are  no  less  the  works 
of  Moses.  And  so  with  other  questions  which  have  been 
started,  such  as  whether  there  be  two  Isaiahs.  While 
clinging  to  the  old  view  of  there  being  one  writer  filled 
with  his  glorious  theme  and  growing  in  ardour  and 
eloquence  as  he  contemplated  from  afar  the  advent  of 
Him  who  was  "  The  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  The  mighty 
God,  The  everlasting  Father,  The  Prince  of  Peace,"  we  yet 
can  see  no  change  in  the  book  itself,  even  though  a  double 


52  THE  BIBLE  AND  HIGHER  CRITICS, 

authorship  were  established.     It   is   to  the   merit   of  the 
book  itself  we  have  to  look  rather  than  its  authorship.     So 
in  our  view  it  is  with  regard  to  the  life  of  Christ — if  it  can 
be  proven  that  John  did  not  write  the  fourth  gospel,  what 
difference  does  it  make  ?     The  gospel  of  John  speaks  for 
itself.     We  do  not   think  any  other   could  have  written 
such  a  marvellous  product  of  the  human  mind.     But  even 
allowing  that  another  was  the  author,  is  not  the  book  true 
in  itself  ?    The  one  evil  that  results  from  pushing  the  alleged 
discoveries  of  Critics  before  the  public  mind,   is  that   of 
leading  ignorant  persons  to  say,    **  surely  if  the  scholars 
are  themselves  disagreed,    the  books  are   not  worthy  of 
credit."     That  this  has  largely  resulted  no  one  can  deny. 
There  is  danger  of  undermining  merely  traditional  convic- 
tions.    Men  are  apt  to  seize  every  difficulty  and  say,  ''the 
idea  of  a  revelation  is  absurd."    We  want  to  utter  a  word 
of   what   we  call    common    sense  on  the    subject   before 
allowing  such  a  conclusion.     We  deeply  regret  the  alarming 
tendency  of  condemning  the  Bible  on  the  mere  ground  of 
contradiction   among   the    Critics,    and   as   for   us   be   it 
understood  that  having  such  a  backing  as  that  given  by 
Christ  to  the  Old  Testament,  we  will  stick  to  reading  and 
admiring  it  as  long  as  life  lasts,  and  we  hope  to  show  that 
the  New  Testament  is  far  too  much  a  living  gem  to  let  it 
lightly  go  from  our  grasp.     No,  brethern,  our  old  Bible 
which  has  an  honored  position  in   our   churches,    schools 
and  colleges,    is  used  as  a  symbol  in    taking  oaths  before 
courts  of  law,  enjoys  a  foremost  place  in  many  societies,, 
and  is  regarded  as  ''  a  lamp  to  the  feet  and  a  light  to  the 


THE  BIBLE  AND  HIGHER  CRITICS.  53 

path"  by  a  vast  number  of  God-fearing  men  and  women,  is 
too  precious  to  be  thus  set  aside.  It  is  more  in  demand 
to  day  than  ever,  and  we  are  not  saying  too  much  in 
expressing  the  beUef  it  is  destined  as  the  years  come  and 
go  to  more  and  more  regard.  Let  us  look  to  its  contents 
— to  what  it  says — rather  than  puzzle  over  merely  surface 
questions. 

We  remark  God's  word  is  '  a  lamp  unto  our  feet  and  a 
light  unto  our  path,"  because,  in  the  first  place,  it  reveals 
the  true  nature  of  sin.  With  human  depravity  it  deals  as 
an  entrance  wedge.  The  teaching  of  the  Bible  is  clear  on 
this  subject.  Were  the  story  of  the  Fall  told  only  once 
in  the  beginning  of  Genesis,  we  might  doubt  the  matter. 
But  it  is  often  repeated  in  the  books  of  Scripture. 
David  expresses- the  whole  truth  when  he  says,  ''Behold  I 
was  shapen  in  iniquity,  and  in  sin  did  my  mother  conceive 
me."  What  have  we  in  all  these  writings  but  the  repetition 
of  the  doctrine  that  '*  sin  is  a  reproach  to  any  people"  and 
that  '*  the  way  of  transgressors  is  hard  "  ?  We  maintain 
the  integrity  of  Scripture  because  its  teaching  on  this  point 
calls  forth  response  from  the  human  heart.  There  is 
correspondence  between  its  doctrine  and  the  universal 
experience.  The  moral  law  stands  strongly  and  firmly  in 
its  place  because  the  condition  of  men  reveals  its  necessity. 
Its  commands  are  not  to  do  the  very  things  we  find  in 
existence  and  which  we  believe  came  into  the  world 
through  disobedience.  The  history  of  the  Jewish  people 
shows  the  necessity  for  the  deliverance  of  such  a  code  of 
morality.     What  is  that  history  ?     Not  only  do  murders. 


54  THE  BIBLE  AND  HIGHER  CRITICS. 

and  crimes  against  chastity,  and  the  vilest  deeds  immedi- 
ately appear,  but  we  are  told  of  wickedness  attaining  such 
a  cumulative  force  that  it  reached  its  climax  in  the  almost 
total  destruction  of  the  race  by  the  flood.  While  that 
awful  visitation  swept  away  the  iniquity  which  abounded^ 
it  did  not  destroy  it.  So  that  we  find  Noah,  the  chosen 
one  who  with  his  family  was  preserved  from  destruction^ 
committing  crimes  too  loathsome  to  name.  And  on  we 
go  with  the  history  until  the  evil  appears  again  in  intensest 
forms,  until  anarchy  and  bloodshed  and  war  are  seen  as  its 
consequences.  Many  say  they  cannot  believe  there  is  a 
God  because  of  the  permission  of  wars  which  to  them  seem 
unjust.  But  what  are  such  strifes  and  death  and  destruc- 
tion  but  the  logical  issue  of  the  sins  which  abounded  ? 
Do  we  think  God  can  endure  the  horrors  of  idolatry, 
profanity,  immorality,  cruelty  ?  Can  a  supreme  Intelligence 
look  calmly  on  such  scenes  and  not  let  them  come  to  their 
fit  conclusion  ?  Does  not  the  extermination  of  races 
result  because  of  their  iniquities  ?  Does  God  prosper  the 
rebellion — leading  to  confusion — ,  the  destruction  of  hosts^ 
and  the  turning  of  all  things  upside  down  ?  Do  we  find 
the  people  of  God  victorious  when  taking  part  in  wars  that 
are  wicked  and  unjust  ?  Are  they  not  conquerors  when 
honoring  the  principles  of  the  Divine  government,  and  are 
they  not  defeated  and  scattered  when  fighting  against  God 
and  truth  ?  And  for  what  are  the  prophets  sent  forth  but 
to  proclaim  the  evil  which  abounds  and  denounce  it  in 
God's  name?  Does  not  Isaiah  cry.  ''Let  the  sinner 
forsake  his  way,  and  the  unrighteous  man  his  thoughts  .''  '* 


THE  BIBLE  AND  HIGHER  CRITICS.  55 

Is  not  Jeremiah  a  doleful  book  because  dealing  with  human 
perversity  ?  What  is  the  burden  of  all  prophecy  but  the 
rebellion  of  men  ?  And -who  teaches  sin  as  an  all  prevail- 
ing evil  more  thoroughly  than  Christ  ?  He  came  to 
convict  men,  to  lift  the  vail,  and  show  the  horrors  which 
abound.  While  loving  men,  He  hates  their  sins.  He 
denounces  the  Pharisee  and  hypocrite.  The  Bible  doctrine 
concerning  sin  culminates  in  the  apostle's  declaration,  *'By 
one  man  sin  entered  into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin;  and  so 
death  passed  upon  all  men,  for  that  all  have  sinned." 
Rom.  V.  12.  Were  not  the  biographies  of  the 
saints  given  for  the  purpose  of  showing  them  to  be 
sinners  ?  There  are  a  few  no  doubt  on  whom  there  is 
no  mention  in  Scripture  of  stain  or  guilt,  such  as  Abel, 
Enoch,  Isaac,  Joseph,  Jonathan,  Nathaniel,  but  in 
their  very  offerings,  were  they  not  confessing  their 
unworthiness  ?  But  what  a  story  is  told  of  Abraham,  of 
Jacob,  of  Moses  even,  of  Eli,  of  David  and  Solomon,  and 
how  few  of  the  kings  appear  other  than  monsters  of  crime? 
What  of  the  New  Testament  ?  Does  not  Paul  confess 
himself,  "the  chief  of  sinners  ?  "  What  of  the  apostles  but 
the  narrative  of  their  desertion  of  Christ  ?  Behold,  Peter 
intimidated  by  a  maiden  and  led  to  the  denial  of  his  Lord! 
What  a  testimony  to  the  prevalence  of  sin  in  death  which 
with  two  exceptions — Enoch  and  Elijah — has  dug  a  grave 
for  all  mankind !  Do  we  not  feel  that  death  is  our  lot 
because  we  have  sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of 
God  ?  The  Scripture  as  a  *'  light  to  the  feet  "  presents  to 
the  believer  the  awful  contrast  of  the  darkness  of  sin  from 


56  THE  BIBLE  AND  HIGHER  CRITICS. 

which  he  has  escaped,  while  it  describes  the  gloom  of  a 
wicked   course  to   rouse  the   sinner   to   repentance. 

We  remark  the  Bible  to  be  ''a  lamp  unto  our  feet,  and  a 
light  unto  our  path,"  because  it  presents  Him  who  is  **the 
Light  that  cometh  into  the  world."  Whether  we  accept 
Scripture  or  not,  we  cannot  reject  the  Messiah  Jesus  is  a 
historical  character.  Countless  writings  other  than  the 
New  Testament  prove  this.  We  say,  further,  had  we  no 
Bible,  had  it  been  possible  to  destroy  it  out  of  sight,  we 
would  still  have  had  the  Christ,  and  His  sayings  and  doings 
would  have  been  currently  reported  from  mouth  to  mouth. 
The  critical  questions,  referred  to  at  the  outset,  settle 
nothing.  The  Saviour  is  the  factor.  Everything  goes  to 
show  that  He  lived  and  took  part  in  human  affairs.  Why  do 
we  date  letters,  newspapers,  books  1895  ?  Every  time  we 
write  these  figures^  it  is  acknowledging  Christ.  If  John's 
gospel  had  never  been  written,  these  words  in  some  form 
would  have  been  ringing  in  the  air,  '^Hadye  believed  Moses, 
you  would  have  believed  me;  for  he  wrote  of  Me."  Could 
the  description  of  Christ's  person,  words,  character  and 
death  ever  have  been  written,  had  no  such  person  lived  ? 
We  say  that  the  invention  of  the  Christ  as  a  story  without 
an  actual  person  who  dwelt  on  earth  would  have  been 
superhuman,  and  the  author  or  authors  of  it  would  be 
entitled  to  worship.  No.  Let  us  by  criticism  set  aside  the 
Bible,  and  there  is  still  this  person  to  be  dealt  with.  Now 
what  is  the  claim  of  this  Jesus  ?  It  is  that  Moses  wrote  of 
Him.  He  tells  us  the  prophets  spoke  concerning  Him. 
And  so,  trying  to  grasp  His  words,  we  are  led  to  see  the 


THE  BIBLE  AND  HIGHER  CRITICS.  57 

Old  Testament  presents  Him  as  a  person.     We  have  to  do, 
then,  not  with  Moses,  or  David,  or  Isaiah,  but  with  what 
is  said,  just  as  we  have  to  do  with  Mathematics  whether 
Euclid  be  the  author  or  not.     Endorsed  by  Christ  the 
books  of  the  Old  Testament  are  to  be  read  to  discover 
this  person.     The  form  of  the  promise  given  in  Genesis, 
'■'■  The  seed  of  the  woman  shall  bruise  the  serpent's  head," 
is  very  striking.     We  have  the  object-lesson  of  Abraham 
offering  his  own  son  to  be  read  with  the  words  of  the 
Saviour,  "Abraham  rejoiced  to  see  my  day  and  was  glad," 
and  we  must  feel  the  ram  which  took  the  place  of  Isaac 
was  one  of  the  sacrifices  by  the  patriarchs  looking  towards 
the  coming  Christ.     What  remarkable  words  uttered  by 
dying  Jacob — we  believe — referring  to  this  very  person, 
^*  The  Sceptre  shall  not  depart  from  Judah,  nor  a  lawgiver 
from  between  his  feet,  until  Shiloh  come;  and  unto  him 
shall  the  gathering  of  the  people  be."  What  a  title  Shiloh, 
meaning  according  to  some.  Peace,  and  how  appropriately 
applied  to  Him  who  said,    ''Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my 
peace   I   give   unto  you."     Moses    wrote    of    some    one 
individual  when  he  said,  'The  Lord  thy  God  will  raise  up 
unto  thee  a  Prophet  from  the  midst  of  thee,  of  thy  brethren, 
like  unto  me,    unto  him  ye  shall   hearken."  Deut.    18:15. 
This  was  at  once  confirmed  by  God  himself.     That  these 
words  were  fulfilled  in  Christ  alone  is  evident  from  the 
fact  that  none  of  the  prophets  was  a  lawgiver,  and  Peter 
is  not  far  wrong  when  applying  them  to  the  Saviour  in  the 
Temple  after  the  miracle  on  the  lame  man.     David  and 
all  the  prophets  from  Samuel  according  to  Peter  speak  of 


58  THE  BIBLE  AND  HIGHER  CRITICS. 

one  person  as  the  coming  Saviour.  To  whom  does  the 
King  of  Israel  refer  in  his  words  but  unto  Him  seen  by  all 
believers  from  afar,  "I  will  declare  the  decree;  the  Lord 
hath  said  unto  me,  Thou  art  my  Son,  this  day  have  I 
begotten  thee."  "  I  have  the  Lord  always  before  me — 
for  thou  wilt  not  leave  my  soul  in  hell,  neither  wilt  thou 
suffer  thine  Holy  One  to  see  corruption."  ''The  Lord  said 
unto  my  Lord,  sit  thou  at  my  right  hand,  until  I  make 
thine  enemies  thy  footstool."  We  have  such  remarkable 
phrases  in  Proverbs  and  the  Song  of  Solomon,  as  "a  friend 
that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother,"  "  my  beloved  is  mine 
and  I  am  his,"  which  are  fulfilled  in  Christ  better  than  any 
other.  Isaiah  is  full  of  this  single  personage.  We  are 
familiar  with  his  53rd  chapter,  which,  applied  to  Christ  as 
we  find  Him  in  the  gospels,  is  wonderful.  They  cannot  be 
referred  to  any  other.  "A  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted 
with  grief."  What  remarkable  language  in  the  59th 
chapter,  "For  he  put  on  righteousness  as  a  breast-plate, 
and  an  helmet  of  salvation  upon  his  head  "  !  The  prophet 
Jeremiah  cries,  "Is  there  no  balm  in  Gilead  ?  is  there  no 
physician  there?"  and  surely  in  doing  so  the  One  is  before 
him.  "I  was  wounded  in  the  house  of  my  friends," 
exclaims  Zechariah  applying  his  words  to  the  Messiah. 
What  a  striking  sentence  uttered  by  Malachi,  "  But  unto 
you  that  fear  my  name  shall  the  Sun  of  righteousness  arise 
with  healing  in  his  wings  !"  We  are  not  trying  skillfully 
to  make  out  a  theory  of  this  one  person  being  proclaimed 
by  all  the  prophets,  but  accounting  for  the  fact  of  there 
being  long  before  Christ  came  an  expectation  with  the     ^ 


THE  BIBLE  AND  HIGHER  CRITICS.  59 

people  that  a  certain  individual  would  come  to  deliver  them 
from  sin  and  every  malady.  This  was  the  earnest  belief 
of  the  spiritual-minded.  It  only  amounted  with  the  mass 
to  an  expectation  of  a  future  king  who  would  reign  over 
them  and  deliver  them  from  the  foe.  It  was  none  the  less 
a  general  anticipation  of  an  important  personage.  So 
that  about  the  time  of  the  actual  birth  of  our  Lord,  the 
people  were  looking  for  One  to  deliver  them  from  the 
Roman  authority.  This  cannot  be  questioned  and  hence 
we  have  to  give  weight  to  the  meaning  of  the  Saviour  in 
applying  the  prophecies  to  himself  and  of  the  apostles  in 
uttering  many  such  words  as  we  find  in  Hebrews,  "This 
man,  because  he  continueth  ever,  hath  an  unchangeable 
priest-hood."  What  a  splendid  title  is  this  which  Jesus 
claims  when  he  says,  ''I  am  the  Light  of  the  World"  ! 

And  now  let  me  say,  in  conclusion,  no  matter  what  the 
opposition  of  men  to  the  word  of  God,  no  matter  what 
alleged  errors  and  difficulties  critics  may  suggest  upon 
mere  questions  of  authorship,  or  as  to  certain  passages 
which  they  assert  to  have  been  added  to  the  original 
manuscripts,  the  Bible  is  to  be  esteemed  "a  lamp  unto 
our  feet  and  a  light  unto  our  path,"  because  of  what  its 
revelation  does  for  man.  I  believe  we  can  never  settle 
questions  about  original  manuscripts,  because  all  we  can 
have  is  found  in  the  books  of  Scripture  as  they  are.  But 
this  we  know  from  the  Word  that  it  "restores  men  to  the 
joy  of  Salvation."  And  by  this  I  understand  it  brings 
back  our  lost  condition.  What  are  we  to  think  of  restor- 
ation  to   complete  manhood  ?    The  Bible  tells   us.     He 


60  THE  BIBLE  AND  HIGHER  CRITICS. 

who  is  the  Light  enforces  this  as  the  royal  road  to 
redemption, — ''Repent  and  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  These  two  things  are  concurrent.  You  cannot 
separate  the  one  from  the  other.  It  is  just  turning  away 
from  sin  to  God.  The  moment  we  look  to  Jesus  we  turn 
from  sin.  The  first  thing  we  can  do  and  which  is  at  once 
intimately  associated  with  faith  is  to  repent.  The  truth 
of  Scripture  shows  my  sinfulness.  The  voice  of  conscience 
■exclaims,  **Thou  art  lost  so  long  as  thou  continuest  in 
wickedness."  There  is  only  one  thing  to  do  in  the  presence 
of  that  light.  It  is  repent  Depart  with  loathing  from 
thine  iniquity.  The  very  hour  in  which  a  man  turns  from 
sin  and  believes  on  Jesus,  he  experiences  the  fact  that  he 
is  *'a  new  creation  of  God,  old  things  are  passed  away, 
behold  all  things  are  become  new."  He  is  then  ''a  man 
in  Christ  Jesus."  And  what  is  meant  by  this  ?  He  is  now 
in  the  Saviour  what  he  would  have  been  had  he  never 
fallen.  Whatever  remaining  sin,  after  his  guilt  is  purged 
and  his  heart  is  purified,  there  is  now  no  condemnation. 
He  is  ''justified  by  faith  and  has  peace  with  God."  Fancy 
what  must  be  the  state  of  one  whose  soul  is  flooded  with 
the  light  because  the  Holy  Ghost  is  "  working  within  him 
to  will  and  do  of  God's  good  pleasure."  A  moral  revolu- 
tion has  taken  place  in  his  heart  His  affections  are 
turned  to  higher  and  better  things.  Because  risen  with 
Christ  he  is  now,  "  seeking  those  things  which  are  above." 
His  thoughts  are  entirely  changed.  There  may  with  many 
be  honesty  and  fidelity  towards  their  fellow-men  before 
conversion.     But  what  powers  these  become  because  now 


THE  BIBLE  AND  HIGHER  CRITICS.  61 

consecrated  to  God  !  But  think  of  the  mass  of  men  who 
'Move  darkness  rather  than  Ught."  What  lusts  occupy 
the  breast  ?  What  passions  are  in  force  so  that  crimes  of 
every  name  are  done  under  the  sun  !  Now  such  are 
transformed,  and  the  very  energy,  and  determination  and 
perseverance,  with  which  they  pursued  their  evil  courses, 
are  turned  in  the  direction  of  virtue  and  honorable  dealing 
and  benevolence.  The  world  becomes  new  to  them. 
Instead  of  looking  at  it  in  the  light  of  ministering  to  their 
pleasure  and  ambition,  it  is  now  seen  to  be  the  creation  of 
God.  Its  stones,  and  streams,  and  lakes,  and  mountains 
speak  to  them  with  other  voices.  They  can  now  con- 
template God  in  creation  with  restful  satisfaction.  They 
have  a  restored  character — basking  in  the  rays  of  that 
Light.  They  are  living  for  a  purpose — to  glorify  God  and 
serve  the  interests  of  others.  Having  learned  to  love  the 
Father  they  can  exercise  love  to  their  fellow  men.  They 
lead  unselfish  lives.  Their  object  is  to  do  good — not 
abstractly — but  in  their  business,  in  their  homes,  and  in 
every  possible  way  as  they  come  in  touch  with  others. 
They  live  a  new  life,  breathe  the  fresh  atmosphere,  they 
are  feeding  themselves  day  by  day  on  Him  who  is  the  bread 
of  life.  Their  spiritual  thirst  is  quenched  because  they  are 
ever  drinking  the  water  of  life  from  its  perennial  source. 
The  Light  of  God  does  for  them  what  the  sun  does  for 
trees  and  flowers.  It  causes  them  to  grow  in  wisdom  and 
knowledge.  They  do  not  stop  where  they  were,  but  are 
attaining  heights  of  which  formerly  they  were  unconsicous. 
Heaven  is  begun  within  them.   They  have  now  a  "name  to 


62  THE  BIBLE  AND  HIGHER  CRITICS. 

live.  "  They  cannot  have  written  upon  their  brows — 
failure,  ruin,  death.  For  they  are  conspicuously  active 
in  the  true  directions  of  man's  energies.  They  are 
aiming  to  be  like  Christ.  And  what  does  the  Light  do 
for  them  ?  They  are  ''brought  to  life  and  immortality 
through  the  Gospel  "  Their  inward  consciousness  of 
life,  not  ending  with  death  but  passing  into  God's 
presence  for  judgment,  is  turned  into  peace  and  joy 
indeed.  For  they  now  see  their  immortal  nature 
becoming  enriched  with  the  gifts  and  graces  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  they  feel  themselves  to  be  ''children  of  God — 
then  heirs,  heirs  of  God,  joint  heirs  with  Christ."  What 
must  it  be  when  a  genuine  manhood  realizes  itself  not  to  be 
for  the  day,  or  the  few  years  of  this  world's  history  ,  but 
forever\  The  floods  of  light  coming  from  Christ  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  assure  him  of  being  begotten  unto  "an 
inheritance  incorruptible,  undefiled  and  that  fadeth  not 
away."  He  who  was  but  immortal  is  now  deeded  with 
Eternal  Life.  He  knows  that  death  means  for  him  the 
crown  of  glory. 

But  what  of  thee,  O  sinner,  who  lovest  darkness 
rather  than  light — who  art  still  in  the  gall  of  bitterness 
and  in  the  bond  of  iniquity  ?  It  is  for  thee  not  to  settle 
such  matters  as  are  raised  about  the  Scripture,  but  to 
deal /r^/ with  the  question,  "why  am  I  not  a  child  of 
God?"  It  will  be  time  to  turn  to  original  manuscripts 
when  thou  are  sure  of  the  new  birth.  Surely  it  is 
miserable  carping  with  vital  things  to  be  practically 
denying  the  Saviour  because  of  difficulties  in  or  about  the 


THE  BIBLE  AND  HIGHER  CRITICS.  63 

Word.  We  do  not  act  thus  in  regard  to  other  sciences. 
Do  we  say  there  is  no  truth  in  astronomy,  or  geology, 
because  of  the  contradictory  statements  of  students  of  the 
one  or  the  other  ?  No,  we  wish  to  see  every  one  firmly 
planted  on  the  Rock  and  then  we  make  bold  to  say  that 
every  book  of  Scripture  will  become  illuminated  and 
every  sentence  will  prove  a  living  gem. 


All  hail  the  glorious  morn, 
That  saw  our  Saviour  rise, 

"With  victory  bright  adorned, 
And  triumph  in  his  eyes ; 

Ye  saints,  extol  your  risen  Lord, 

And  sing  his  praise  w^ith  sweet  accord. 


HOLIDAY  OR  HOLY  DAY— WHICH  ? 
SERMON  V. 

The  Sabbath  was  made  for  man,  and  not  man  for  the 
Sabbath,  therefore  the  Son  of  jnan  is  Lord  also  of 
the  Sabbath. — MARK  ii.  27-28. 

We  do  not  feel  like  discussing  such  a  question  as  that 
concerning  the  change  of  the  Sabbath  from  the  last  to 
the  first  day  of  the  week.  The  Jew,  who  has  not  come  to 
the  acceptance  of  the  Messiah,  is  of  course  bound  on 
grounds  of  patriotism  to  maintain  the  seventh  day 
observance.  He  will  be  all  the  nearer  the  ancient  standard 
of  piety  if  scrupulous  on  this  matter.  For  the  words  still 
stand  on  the  Book,  "  If  thou  turn  away  thy  foot  from  the 
Sabbath,  from  doing  thy  pleasure  on  my  holy  day;  and 
call  the  Sabbath  a  delight,  the  holy  of  the  Lord,  honorable 
— then  shalt  thou  delight  thyself  in  the  Lord."  We  hope 
for  the  conversion  of  such  in  proportion  as  they  are 
mindful  of  the  day  which  the  Lord  hath  made.  If  those 
calling  themselves  Christian  insist  upon  observing  the 
Seventh,  and  not  the  first,  we  regard  them  going  back 
rather  than  forward.  If  they  have  time  on  their  hands 
and  can  observe  both  days  in  the  public  sense,  well  and 
good.  But  with  the  vast  multitude,  whose  one  day  in  the 
week  is  ever  in  danger  of  being  torn  from  their  grasp,  it 


66  HOLIDA  V  OR  HOL  V  DA  Y—  WHICH? 

is  a  matter  of  clinging  to  that  which  they  have  rather 
than  attempting  the  impracticable  and  going  back  to  the 
letter  of  the  law.  As  our  purpose  is  vastly  other  than 
that  of  dealing  with  the  question,  why  there  came  the 
change  from  the  seventh  to  the  first,  let  us  touch  upon 
this  just  for  a  moment.  We  see  the  day  was  not  altered  at 
the  whim  of  pope  or  priest,  for  there  it  is  right  before  us 
in  the  New  Testament.  The  resurrection  of  our  Lord 
was  evidently  an  event  of  such  import  as  to  involve  many 
transformations,  and  amongst  them  the  setting  apart  of  one 
day  to  be  its  memorial.  We  can  readily  understand  how 
the  Jewish  Christian,  while  keeping  up  a  weekly  remem- 
brance of  the  Lord's  resurrection,  would  yet  stick  to  the 
old  law  of  the  seventh  as  much  as  possible.  But  the 
Resurrection  so  completely  overshadowed  creation  that 
it  became  the  absorbing  thought.  In  searching  for 
reasons  for  the  change  to  the  first  day  and  demanding  no 
less  than  words  of  Christ  to  authorize  this,  we  forget  it 
was  made  under  His  own  supervision.  For  how  else 
explain  the  appearances  of  our  Lord  to  his  disciples  on 
the  first  day  of  the  week — on  the  one  occasion  to  all  the 
disciples  except  Thomas  and  on  the  next  to  the  eleven, 
demonstrating  to  the  astonished  doubter  the  fact  of  His 
resurrection.  These  we  cannot  help  connecting  with 
Paul's  injunction  to  the  Corinthians,  (i  Cor.  xvi.  2) 
**Upon  the  first  day  of  the  week  let  every  one  of  you  lay 
by  him  in  store,  as  God  hath  prospered  him."  There 
seems  no  doubt  of  the  observance  of  the  first  day  by 
meetings  and  worship,  and  so  the  Lord's  day  became  a 


HO  LI  DA  V  OR  HOL  V  DA  Y—  WHICH?  67 

distinctive  title,  as  when  John  says  in  Rev.  i.  10.  *'  I  was 
in  the  Spirit  on  the  Lord's  day."  It  seems  clear  that  with 
the  sanction  of  the  Lord  himself  a  special  emphasis  was 
put  upon  the  first  day,  and  that  under  direction  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  the  first  day  was  from  the  beginning  employed 
in  some  public  manner  to  memorialize  Christ's  rising  from 
the  dead.  From  Polycarp  downwards  it  is  the  first  day 
of  the  week  which  is  observed  for  worship.  There  is  no 
mention  in  history  of  any  time  when  this  day  became  of 
special  significance.  The  practice  grew.  It  grew  out  of 
the  circumstances.  The  Sabbath  has  been  observed 
through  all  the  centuries  on  the  first  day,  and  it  is 
interesting  to  learn  from  Missionaries  throughout  Asia 
Minor  this  day  has  the  sanction  of  the  ages  in  its  favor. 
Whatever  may  be  said,  the  first  day  is  our  Sabbath.  If 
we  are  to  contend  for  anything  it  is  the  first  day.  It  is 
the  Sabbath  as  we  have  it — the  people's  inheritance — 
our  most  blessed  possession.  We  observe,  in  the 
first  place,  that  the  Sabbath  was  made  for  man. 
If  asked,  to  whom  are  we  indebted  for  this  day, 
we  might  reply — the  church.  It  is  an  important  fact  that 
Protestant  Christendom  is  almost  a  unit  in  this  matter. 
We  either  are  or  ought  to  be  united  in  regard  to  the  day. 
The  Roman  Catholics  are  with  us  to  a  certain  extent — 
contented  for  the  most  part  with  a  few  hours  for  worship 
and  devoting  the  rest  to  pleasure.  But  do  we  imagine 
that  the  Church  of  herself  would  have  thought  of  such 
an  institution  in  its  regularly  recurring  weekly  observance? 
We  have  to  go  back  of  the  Church  to  God  himself  as  the 


68  HO  LI  DA  V  OR  HOL  V  DA  V—  WHICH? 

Author  of  Sabbath.  The  origin  of  the  day  is  beautifully 
told  in  Genesis.  We  have  in  the  first  chapter  an  inspired 
ode — setting  forth  the  order  of  events  in  creation.  Some 
contend  from  their  geological  discoveries  that  each  day 

represents  an  indefinite  period.  While  not  disposed  to 
favor  this  theory,  it  does  not  affect  the  question  of  the 
Sabbath.  For  if  Monday  is  a  symbol  of  countless  years 
during  which  one  layer  of  earth  was  constructed,  then  the 
Sabbath  would  stand  for  the  illimitable  time  during  which 
God  is  revealing  his  Salvation.  The  world's  history  since 
the  Fall  would  be  the  Sabbatic  age  of  which  the  seventh 
day  until  the  resurrection  of  Christ  was  made  the  type. 
The  Sabbath  would  then  be  as  authoritative  as  any  one 
of  the  six  days.  But  we  rather  think  the  account  of  the 
world  up  to  the  week  which  closed  with  the  creation  of 
man  is  contained  in  the  ist  and  2nd  verses  of  Gen.  i,  and 
that  the  division  into  days  marks  the  preparation  of  the 
earth  as  an  abode  for  man.  The  Lord  then  is  set  forth  as 
giving  light  one  day,  and  separating  the  water  from  the 
dry  land  another,  and  so  on  with  the  rest.  At  last  the 
work  fittingly  terminates  with  the  formation  of  man,  and 
we  are  told,  **  God  blessed  the  Sabbath  and  haliowed  it.  " 
Thus  the  seventh  day  was  secured  to  man  by  none  other 
than  the  Creator.  He  foresees  all  things  needed  for  our 
race,  and  so  He  guards  the  day  for  worship  and  service. 
Had  man  not  fallen  it  would  have  made  no  difference. 
The  six  days  would  have  been  employed  in  working  the 
soil  and  turning  to  account  the  earth's  products.  And 
there  would  have  been  a  day  of  complete  rest  at  the  close 


HOLIDA  V  OR  HOL  V  DA  Y—  WHICH?  69 

of  each  week,  when  the  souls  of  men  would  have  been 
lifted  up  in  praise.  There  would  in  that  case  never  have 
been  question  raised  concerning  the  Sabbath.  But  it  is 
clear  to  the  Bible  student  the  Sabbath  is  continued  after 
the  fall,  and  while  the  children  of  Israel  in  their  Egyptian 
bondage  had  to  toil  on  with  no  day  of  rest  and  were 
compelled  to  double  their  tasks  and  make  bricks  without 
straw,  yet  during  the  wilderness  period  there  is  by  Divine 
command  the  resumption  of  the  Sabbath,  and  the  observ- 
ance of  the  day  is  made  imperative  by  the  incorporation 
of  the  fourth  commandment  into  the  moral  law,"Remember 
the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy."  While  the  other  nations 
might  be  groaning  in  their  bondage  and  forced  to  labor 
on  all  days  alike,  the  Jewish  people  were,  when  obedient 
and  loyal  to  God,  faithful  in  honoring  their  Sabbaths,  and 
you  can  readily  see  the  horrors  of  slavery  and  corruption 
which  followed  the  neglect  to  keep  God's  day. 

The  two  features  of  the  day  thus  made  for  man — were 
rest  and  worship.  ''Even  them  (i.  e.  who  keep  the  Sabbath) 
will  I  bring  to  my  holy  mountain,  and  make  them  joyful 
in  my  house  of  prayer,  their  burnt  offerings  and  their 
sacrifices  shall  be  accepted  upon  mine  altar,  for  mine 
house  shall  be  called  a  house  of  prayer  for  all  people." 
The  Maker  of  the  Sabbath  had  in  view  rest  from  toil. 
What  tender  solicitude  on  the  part  of  the  Creator  for  his 
creatures,  that  He  thus  appoints  this  weekly  rest  !  What 
must  life  be  without  Sunday  but  a  weary,  toiling, 
monotonous  round  !  God  protested  all  along  against 
labor — continuous,  depressing.     But  let  us  try  to  conceive 


70  HOLIDA  Y  OR  HOL  V  DA  Y—  WHICH? 

the  blessings  of  the  Sabbath  when  Saturday  night  comes, 
**  Beneath  the  milk-white  thorn  that  scents  the  evening 
gale,"  the  weekly  rest  is  intended  to  begin.  Then  the 
Sabbath  itself  is  to  be  marked  by  cessation  from  labor, 
except  what  may  be  necessary.  But  would  man  at  his 
best  be  satisfied  with  merely  resting  his  body  ?  Is  it 
intended  he  should  sleep  all  day  ?  Nay,  you  must  read 
the  injunctions  to  attend  to  the  duties  of  religion  on  that 
day  as  on  no  other.  While  God  is  to  be  worshipped 
every  day  in  the  family  according  to  Joshua,  ''As  for  me 
and  my  house,  we  will  serve  the  Lord,  "  it  is  peculiarly  fit- 
ting to  have  one  day  in  which  to  be  glad,  when  they  said, 
"let  us  go  up  to  the  house  of  God."  Yes  !  there  is  the 
true  idea  of  rest,  for  after  sufficient  sleep  and  enjoyment, 
the  soul  of  man  cannot  be  satisfied  with  other  than  the 
Bread  of  life. 


HO  LI  DA  V  OR  HOL  Y  DA  V—  WHICH?  71 

PART   II. 

We  wish  to  speak  briefly,  in  the  second  place,  of  the 
tendency  to  make  our  Lord's  sentence  read,  *' man  was 
made  for  Sabbath,  and  not  the  Sabbath  for  man."  What 
would  that  mean  ?  It  would  signify  that  man  can  do  just 
as  he  pleases  on  Sabbath,  or  on  the  Lord's  day, — or 
Sunday  as  they  prefer  to  call  it.  It  is  my  weekly  holiday 
and  I  can  do  with  it  what  seems  to  me  best.  I  do  not 
know  why  holy  day  has  become  holiday^  (that  is  spelt  with 
an  i  instead  of  y),  unless  it  is  by  reason  of  the  claim  made 
by  many  to  spend  the  day  as  they  choose.  The  word  thus 
spelt — holiday — seems  to  fit  in  with  this  idea — although 
we  cannot  see  it  is  different  from  holy  day,  except  in 
sound.  The  words  are  the  same.  We  have,  however,  to 
do  with  this  assertion  of  right  to  use  the  day  according  to 
caprice.  In  our  view  the  orevalent  non-observance  of 
Sabbath  as  a  time  for  rest  and  worship  is  alarming.  We 
have  to  acknowledge,  while  mourning  what  may  be  called 
secularisation  of  the  day,  or  departure  from  its  proper 
purposes,  what  a  small  number,  relatively,  who  are 
attending  the  churches!  Contrast  with  this  the  throngs 
flocking  to  the  piers  on  our  hot  Sundays  and  crowding 
steam  vessels  which  ply  to  the  different  places  along  our 
sea  coasts  and  on  our  rivers.  We  know  well  what  is 
taking  place  when  they  get  there — to  Coney  Island  or 
Rockaway  for  example.  All  the  saloons  are  doing  a 
rushing  business.  Merry-go-rounds  and  every  other  means 
of  amusement  are  in  demand.     A  vast  business  for  the 


7i  HO  LID  A  V  OR  HOL  V  DA  Y—  WHICH? 

sale  of  every  imaginable  thing  is  being  carried  on.  Of 
course,  the  less  objectionable  recreation  from  bathing, 
boating  is  carried  on  to  an  immense  extent.  The  results 
we  feel  certain  are  not  satisfactory  even  to  such  as  behave 
well.  They  are  often  delayed  in  their  return  to  the  city. 
The  boats  are  dangerously  overcrowded.  Conversation 
for  the  most  part  is  about  the  day's  experience  or  other 
subjects  of  a  secular  kind.  Those  well  behaved  are 
compelled  to  witness  scenes  which  are  far  from  edifying. 
When  they  reach  home  they  are  weary  and  worn,  and  on 
Monday  feel  in  anything  but  good  condition  for  resuming 
their  work.  But  what  shall  we  say  of  the  drunkenness 
which  manifest  itself,  of  the  profane  swearing,  of  the 
sweat  and  toil  of  sin?  It  is  a  sad  sad  tale.  Monday  sees 
the  multitude  of  pleasure — seekers  in  no  fit  shape  for  the 
toils  of  the  week,  and  the  debauch  is  too  frequently 
continued.  What  do  we  witness  in  our  City  life  ?  Is  it 
not  the  claim  of  man  being  made  for  the  Sabbath  showing 
itself  in  countless  forms  of  pleasure  seeking.  Our  cars  are 
crowded  from  morn  till  eve.  The  people  are  determined 
to  enjoy  themselves,  and  every  conceivable  conveyance  is 
in  demand.  They  are  rushing  from  the  City  in  every 
direction  to  get  the  fresh  air,  as  they  say.  But  the  saloon 
again  is  the  popular  resort,  and  we  know  the  results.  The 
travellers  jostle  and  selfishly  struggle  for  the  best  places. 
There  are  continual  confusion  and  wars  of  words  and 
disturbance.  Behold  them  jaded,  worn  out,  far  from 
rested,  at  the  close  of  the  day!  Is  this  the  best  way  of 
spending  Sabbath  as  preparation  for  the  week's  require- 


HO  LI  DA  V  OR  HOL  V  DA  Y—  WHICH?  73 

"merits  ?  There  is  a  large  class — playing  base  ball,  running 
races  on  the  bicycle,  indulging  in  all  sorts  of  bodily  exercise. 
They  say,  they  are  doing  it  to  promote  health — to  enjoy 
the  out-door  exercise  they  are  denied  during  the  week. 
There  is  no  secret  about  side-doors  by  which  to  enter 
saloons  in  this  and  many  another  city.  The  business  is 
openly  done.  We  have  no  knowledge  of  the  actual 
number  resorting  to  these  for  drink  and  amusement,  but  it 
must  be  very  large.  The  question  is  being  agitated  what 
to  do  with  the  saloon.  Shall  we  allow  it  to  be  open  as  in 
London  during  certain  hours  of  the  day  ?  Well,  all  this 
means  that  large  masses  of  people  are  resolved  to  make 
what  use  of  the  Sabbath  they  like  best. 

They  say  it  is  their  weekly  holiday  and  theirs  to  do  with 
as  they  will.  But  we  maintain  it  is  not  their  day  in  that  sense. 
It  is  God's  day  to  be  spent  as  He  would  have  it.  We  owe  it 
largely  to  our  churches  that  we  have  such  a  period.  No  one 
can  deny  this  who  thinks  on  the  subject.  We  certainly  do 
not  owe  the  Sabbath  to  worldly  men.  These  may  talk 
eloquently  about  the  working  men's  Sunday,  but  have 
never  lifted  even  their  little  finger  on  behalf  of  the  toilers. 
Whether  allowed  or  not  by  those  most  interested  in  the 
weekly  holiday,  we  maintain  it  to  be  absolutely  certain 
they  owe  the  day  to  religion  or  in  a  word  to  God. 

At  the  same  time,  we  do  not  plead  for  a  severe 
puritanic  Sabbath.  We  do  not  come  upon  a  single  passage 
of  Scripture  encouraging  such  a  notion.  Let  us  not  think 
ourselves  doing  God  service  because  we  close  down  our 
blinds  and  shutters,  hermetically  seal  our  pianos,  entertain 


74  HOLIDA  V  OR  HOL  V  DA  V—  WHICH? 

the  idea  of  laughter  being  sin.  We  believe  the  Sabbath 
was  made  for  man — to  give  him  needed  rest — to  allow 
sufficient  bodily  exercise,  to  enjoy  the  free  air  and  bright 
sunshine  readily  within  reach.  But  we  cannot  believe  that 
pleasure  seeking  is  other  than  laborious.  We  would  have 
Sunday  a  specially  happy  family  day.  The  parents  have 
time  to  spend  upon  the  intellectual  and  spiritual  training 
of  their  children.  Innocent  amusements,  looking  to  Bible 
instruction,  could  be  had  by  these  little  ones.  We  rejoice 
in  Sunday  Schools,  while  deprecating  the  notion  of  parents 
being  thereby  relieved  of  the  duty  of  teaching  their 
offspring.  The  Sabbath  School  is  indeed  a  grand  factor. 
Think  what  these  teachers  are  doing  for  our  young — not 
merely  taking  them  from  the  streets  and  places  of 
questionable  resort,  but  giving  instruction. 

One  word  more.  By  turning  away  from  God's 
Sabbath,  paying  no  regard  to  the  purposes  for  which  it 
was  given  and  making  it  a  day  of  pleasure,  we  are  in 
danger  of  losing  it.  On  the  one  side  the  Lord  gives 
inspiring  promise  to  those  who  observe  His  day,  saying, 
"  Thus  saith  the  Lord  unto  them  that  keep  my  Sabbath 
will  I  give  in  my  house  and  within  my  walls  a  place  and  a 
name.  I  will  give  them  an  everlasting  name  that  shall 
not  be  cut  off."  Isa.  Ivi.  i6.  On  the  other  side  God  says, 
''Did  not  your  fathers  thus  profane  the  Sabbath,  and  did 
not  our  God  bring  all  this  evil  upon  us,  and  upon  this 
City  ?  Yet  ye  bring  more  wrath  upon  Israel  by  profaning^ 
the  Sabbath."  Neh.  xiii.  i8.  And  again,  "The  Lord  caused 
the  Sabbath  to  be  forgotten  in  Zion,    '*Lam.  ii.  6.  and  *1 


HOLIDA  V  OR  HOL  V  DA  V—  WHICH?  75 

will  cause  all  her  mirth  to  cease,  her  feast  days,  her  new 
moons,  and  her  Sabbaths^  and  all  her  solemn  feasts."  Hos. 
ii.  II.  But  you  say,  this  severity  and  such  a  sentence 
have  passed  away,  because  we  have  not  the  Sabbath  as 
Israel  had  it.  The  day  is  changed  and  has  become  one  for 
enjoyment.  For  our  part,  the  Lord's  day  is  our  Sabbath, 
It  has  attached  to  it  not  only  all  the  sacredness  pertaining 
to  the  original  day  of  rest,  but  reverence  and  love  toward 
the  Lord  Jesus,  of  whose  resurrection  it  is  a  fitting 
memorial.  Moreover,  God^s  commandments  are  not  a 
burden.  The  path  of  true  enjoyment  lies  in  keeping  them. 
On  the  one  hand,  it  is  evident  as  daylight  that  the  proper 
observance  of  the  Sabbath  ensures  its  continuance.  Let 
us  walk  and  keep  the  day  as  the  Lord  would  have  us  and 
we  need  not  fear  losing  it.  When  men  are  alive  to  the 
privileges  of  the  day,  they  will  strenuously  resist  every 
attempt  on  the  part  of  worldly  men  to  wrest  the  Sabbath 
from  the  toiling  multitude. 

But  what,  let  me  ask,  is  to  be  expected  from  turning  the 
day  into  one  of  pleasure — and  forgetting  the  hallowed  end 
for  which  it  was  instituted  ?  The  results  of  this  are  before 
our  eyes.  What  a  vast  number  forced  to  labor  on  the 
Lord's  day,  because  of  this  demand  for  enjoyment!  You 
cannot  sail  these  steam  vessels,  you  cannot  run  these 
cars,  without  compelling  others  to  work.  It  is  alarming  to 
think  of  the  inroads  on  Sabbath  already  made,  and  the 
mass  who  have  to  toil  to  satisfy  the  general  desire  for 
sensuous,  if  not  sensual,  gratification.  We  can  hardly 
exaggerate  on  this  matter.     It  is  not  only  New  York  and 


76  HOLIDA  V  OR  HOL  Y  DA  Y—  WHICH? 

neighboring  cities  upon  which  our  eye  is  set,  but  behold, 
how  this  pleasure  seeking  covers  the  entire  land.  Consider- 
ing the  saloons  and  places  of  amusement  open  on  the  Lord's 
day,  the  actual  number  laboring  must  be  indeed  great. 
We  must  remember  this  evil  thus  appears  at  the  present 
moment  in  spite  of  the  continual  efforts  of  the  Church  and 
State  to  preserve  the  day  of  rest.  What  would  it  be  if 
there  was  no  restriction  whatever  and  those  who  run 
theatres,  concert  rooms  and  various  place  of  resort  were 
allowed  to  do  as  they  list  ?  The  wickedness  is  undoubtedly 
:growiilg  in  this  very  direction.  Attempts  to  throw  the  doors 
of  these  places  wide  open  on  Sabbath  have  been  made 
again  and  again.  By  and  by,  if  such  encroachments  are 
permitted  we  will  have  our  New  England  Sabbath  turned 
into  a  Sunday  as  it  is  in  France.  God  forbid  we  say,  for 
what  does  this  mean  ? 

It  signifies  the  obliteration  of  distinction  between 
Sunday  and  Saturday.  It  means  open  stores  on 
Sundays — the  carrying  on  of  all  kinds  of  business, 
until  we  have  the  two  classes — the  one,  the  pleasure 
seekers,  compelling  fellow-men  and  women  to  toil  on  the 
holy  day,  and  the  other,  the  toilers  themselves — those 
obliged  to  go  through  a  perpetual,  unbroken  cycle  of  labor 
during  all  the  seven  days  of  the  week.  That  means  the 
hallowed  day  becoming  one  of  intemperance  on  a  vast 
scale,  of  unbridled  lust,  of  servile  work  for  the  multitude. 
And  do  you  think  that  men  will  ever  concede  to  giving  a 
holiday  now  and  again  as  a  substitute  for  the  loss  of 
Sunday,  or  so  arrange  the  time  of  service  as  to  make  work 


HO  LI  DA  Y  OR  HOL  V  DA  Y—  WHICH?  77 

on  this  day  only  occasional  ?  That  is  not  our  experience, 
working  men.  What  we  now  see — the  chains  holding  your 
bodies  to  suffering  and  anguish  becoming  thicker,  the 
pressure  upon  your  liberty  becoming  severer,  life  getting 
to  be  a  sad  burden  through  over-work,  until  hope  is  gone 
from  you  and  despair  seats  itself  proudly  over  you, — these 
will  become  your  lot  in  still  severer  forms.  There  is  the 
logical  issue  of  what  is  now  going  on  before  our  eyes,  and 
the  question  before  the  laboring  classes  is,  whether  by  due 
observance  of  the  Sabbath  they  will  secure  its  privileges, 
or  by  yielding  to  passion  and  libertinism  they  will  permit 
the  day  of  rest  for  them  to  become  a  thing  of  the  past. 


O  Master,  it  is  good  to  be 

High  on  the  mountain  here  with  Thee, 

Where  stand  revealed  to  mortal  gaze 

Those  glorious  saints  of  other  days. 

Who  once  received  on  Horeb's  height 

The  eternal  laws  of  truth  and  right, 

Or  caught  the  still  small  whisper,  higher. 

Than  storm,  than  earthquake,  or  than  fire. 


THE  TRANSFIGURATION. 
SERMON  VI. 

MATT,  xvii.,   1-8.      MARK  ix.,  2-8.      LUKE  ix. ,  2-8. 

The  very  first  expression  in  the  passage  of  Scripture 
now  read  connects  the  transfiguration  with  the  declaration, 
which  the  Lord  made  concerning  his  approaching  suffer- 
ings. **And  after  six  days,''  (the  Evangelist  narrates), 
"  Jesus  taketh  Peter,  James  and  John,  his  brother,  and 
bringeth  them  up  into  a  high  mountain."  St.  Mark  says 
the  same  thing ;  and  St.  Luke  with  a  slightly  different 
expression,  "It  came  to  pass  about  2iX\  eight  days  2S.X.^x. 
these  sayings,"  signifies  the  same  thing.  There  is  no 
contradiction  between  St.  Matthew  and  St.  Mark  on  the 
one  hand  and  St.  Luke  on  the  other — Matthew  and  Mark 
recording  six  clear  days  as  having  elapsed,  and  St.  Luke 
taking  into  his  summation  the  day  preceding  and  the  day 
following  this  hiatus  of  six  days,  as  the  days  on  which  the 
two  events  which  are  connected  respectively  occurred.  We 
know  not  what  happened  between  the  prophecy  the  Lord 
made  regarding  His  final  doom,  and  the  event  of'  the 
Transfiguration.  But  it  is  one  of  the  examples  with  which 
the  Scriptures  are  filled,  of  the  human  and  divine  nature  of 
our   Saviour   being  placed  side  by  side   in  vivid  contrast. 


8o  THE  TRANSFIGURATION. 

At  one  time  we  find  Him  showing  "  unto  his  disciples, 
how  that  He  must  go  unto  Jerusalem,  and  suffer  many 
things  of  the  Elders  and  Chief  Priests,  and  Scribes,  and 
be  killed,"  and  then  we  have  to  follow  the  footsteps  of  our 
Lord  and  His  disciples  as  they  strike  into  the  solitudes  of 
the  mountain,  on  which  the  wonderful  event  of  the  Trans- 
figuration took  place.  Let  us  draw  near  and  gaze  with 
reverence  upon  the  scene  so  strikingly  depicted  by  the 
three  Evangelists. 

St.  Luke  states  the  purpose  of  the  Saviour  in  thus  retir- 
ing into  the  mountain.  "He  went,"  he  says,  "to  pray." 
This  should  be  borne  in  mind  in  considering  the  Trans- 
figuration, for  we  think  it  goes  far  to  explain  it.  It  would 
seem  that  Christ  was  in  the  habit  of  going  into  the 
mountains  for  prayer  and  meditation.  It  was  on  a 
mountain  He  preached  to  His  disciples  the  greatest  of 
sermons,  and  there  He  taught  them  to  pray  after  the 
manner  of  His  own  model  prayer.  The  sacred  historian 
informs  us  that  after  performing  the  miracle  of  feeding 
the  multitudes,  "When  He  had  sent  them  away,  He  went 
up  into  a  mountain  apart  to  pray,  and  when  the  evening 
was  come  He  was  there  alone."  And  so  on  many  other 
occasions  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  Christ  secluded 
himself  in  the  deep  recesses  of  the  mountain  sides,  and 
there  unseen  by  human  eye,  let  His  hearts'  desires  and 
meditations  ascend  to  His  Father.  It  is  probable  that 
the  solitariness  of  the  Redeemer  was  brightened  by  many 
Transfiguration  scenes,  and  that  in  the  event  before  us,  as 
recorded,  we  have  a  glimpse  of  what  He  was  in  His  spirit- 


THE  TRANSFIGURATION.  8r 

ual  exaltations.  At  all  events  we  should  not  overlook  the 
important  lesson  here  presented,  viz  :  that  Jesus  Christ 
was  in  fullest  sympathy  and  accord  with  nature,  that  the 
mountain  side,  or  wilderness,  or  lonely  sea-shore  afforded 
Him  a  congenial  retreat  where  He  might  pour  out  His 
heart  before  the  Father,  and  that  with  Him  it  needed  not 
the  cloistered  cell  or  some  sequestered  or  consecrated 
spot,  to  commune  with  heaven.  This  habit  of  the  Saviour 
we  should  regard  as  a  worthy  example.  There  is  without 
doubt  great  value  in  stated  seasons  and  places  for  retire- 
ment and  solitary  thought.  We  are  the  creatures  of  habit, 
and  must  ever  associate  the  routine  of  duty  with  fixed 
appointments.  But  there  is  danger  connected  with  this, 
that  we  become  cold,  methodical,  and  crush  within  us 
those  human  impulses  which  give  to  prayers  and  medita- 
tions the  zest  of  genuine  enjoyment.  If  we  cannot  pray 
but  in  the  closet,  if  we  cannot  meditate  except  in  the 
hermitage,  we  suspect  we  are  still  at  some  distance  from 
the  Kingdom  of  God.  We  will  substitute  monasticism  for 
devotion,  penance  for  penitence,  works  for  faith.  But  let 
us  have  the  spirit  of  the  Master,  and  all  nature  will  present 
herself  as  a  Temple  in  which  we  may  offer  the  incense  of 
prayer ;  the  lonely  mountain-peak  may  become  a  conse- 
crated altar;  the  solitudes  of  the  wilderness  will  be 
enjoyed  as  our  confessional  ;  the  stars  will  be  regarded  by 
us  as  the  very  windows  of  heaven,  through  which  minister- 
ing angels  are  watching  us  ;  the  winds  and  the  waves  will 
sing  to  us  with  celestial  strains.  Wherever  we  are  placed 
the  still,  small  voice  will  be  always  whispering  in  our  ears. 


82  THE  TRANSFIGURATION. 

Jesus  took  with  Him  Peter,  James  and  John  into  an 
exceeding  high  mountain.  With  the  question  as  to 
whether  this  was  Mount  Tabor  or  Mount  HenfWfi^  we  will 
only  say  that  the  balance  of  evidence  seems  to  be  in 
favor  of  Hermon.  Hermon  is  an  exceeding  high  moun- 
tain, while  Tabor  was  inhabited  to  the  very  top.  Hermon 
lay  close  to  where  Jesus  was  at  the  time  of  the  Trans- 
figuration, while  Tabor  was  at  a  considerable  distance. 
Hermon's  lofty  peak  was  crowned  with  the  snows  of  ages, 
suggesting  evidently  St.  Mark's  description,  ''His 
raiment  became  shining,  exceeding  white  as  snow." 
Turn  from  this  to  the  persons  by  whom  our  Lord  was 
accompanied  on  the  occasion  of  the  Transfiguration. 
These  were  three  of  His  disciples,  who  by  their  differing 
tempers  and  mental  qualities  were  peculiarly  fitted  to  act 
the  part  of  witnesses  of  the  grand  transactions  about  to 
take  place.  Here  we  have  not  only  the  number  of  wit- 
nesses required  by  law,  but  so  constituted  that  if  the 
event  had  not  occurred,  and  was  only  imaginary  or  a 
mere  vision,  they  must  have  contradicted  one  another  in 
their  account  of  it.  Without  having  been  present  at  an 
actual  occurrence,  Peter — the  fearlessly  honest — could 
not  have  written  as  he  afterwards  did  concerning  it, 
**  We  were  witnesses  of  His  Majesty,  for  He  (Jesus  Christ) 
received  from  God  the  Father,  honor  and  glory,  when 
there  came  such  a  voice  to  Him  from  the  excellent  glory. 
'This  is  my  beloved  Son  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased,'  and 
this  voice  which  came  from  heaven  we  heard,  when  we 
were  with  Him  in  the  Holy  Mount."     James  was  the  first 


THE   TRANSFIGURATION.  83 

martyr,  who  died  for  his  faith  in  Christ.  He  is  thus  to 
be  esteemed  for  his  bold  and  unwavering  truthfulness. 
John,  again,  as  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  and  who 
lived  to  the  age  of  upwards  of  a  hundred  years  in  faith- 
ful and  affectionate  witnessing  to  Christ,  furnishes  testi- 
mony most  precious  to  all  who,  like  him  rest  on  the  Sav- 
iour's breast.  These  three  witnesses  severally  commend 
themselves  to  the  Heathen,  the  Sceptic,  and  to  Believers, 
and  their  united  testimony  is  of  great  value  in  determi- 
ning the  realty  of  the  Transfiguration.  May  we  not  well 
exclaim,  in  view  of  the  special  favor  conferred  upon 
them,  what  a  privilege  to  accompany  Jesus  and  see  Him 
in  the  act  of  praying!  It  was  night;  and  now  that  deep 
shadows  had  wrapped  the  mountain  and  the  sublime 
silence  of  the  hour  was  felt — unbroken  except  by  the 
rustling  leaf,  the  whirl  of  the  startled  bird,  or  the  drip- 
ping of  water  from  the  projecting  crag — what  a  precious 
opportunity  was  afforded  for  beholding  Christ  in  the 
highest  exercises  of  His  soul!  Yet,  strange  to  say,  as  St. 
Luke  tells  us,  that  '■  Peter  and  they  that  were  with  him 
were  heavy  with  sleep."  What!  exclaim  some  of  you, 
asleep  in  such  company!  Yes,  the  frailties  of  the  flesh 
are  indeed  great,  that  sleep  should  overtake  one  when 
about  to  receive  the  greatest  boon.  But  they  were 
doubtless  worn  out  with  the  fatigues  of  the  day.  They 
were  overcome  with  the  journey.  They  shared  not  the 
spiritual  exaltation  of  the  Master.  The  sweet  breath  of 
a  summer's  wind,  and  the  gentle  rays  of  stars — as  well  as 
the  holy  engagements  of  the  Lord — all  sung  with  monot- 


84  THE   TRANSFIGURATION. 

onous  cadence  their  souls  into  deep  sleep.  Meanwhile 
the  praying  manner  of  their  Lord  is  lost  to  sight. 
Precious  words  fell  soundless  on  their  slumbering  ears. 
While  it  was  natural  to  sleep  at  such  an  hour,  yet  it 
involved  the  loss  of  those  lofty  thoughts  which  were 
poured  into  the  Heavenly  Father's  ear.  What  a  contrast 
between  the  sleeping  disciples  and  the  vigilant  Master! 
But  let  us  not  blame  them — who  when  our  souls  are 
blunted  with  worldly  engagements  and  our  bodies  drag  on 
our  jaded  minds — sleep  away  the  valuable  moments  of 
divine  worship,  or  become  unconscious  while  v^e  are 
listening  to  the  words  of  some  valued  friend.  Jesus  does 
not  rebuke  them  by  word  or  look,  and  perhaps  it  was 
because  He.  feeling  for  them,  allowed  them  to  rest  awhile 
that  they  might  be  well  prepared  to  witness  the  sublime 
spectacle  that  was  about  to  pass  before  them. 

St.  Luke  informs  us,  **  that  as  He  prayed  the  fashion  of  his 
countenance  was  altered,  and  his  raiment  was  white  and 
glistening."  The  words  of  St.  Matthew  are,  "  He  was 
transfigured  before  them  ;  and  His  face  did  shine  as  the 
sun,  and  his  raiment  was  white  as  the  light."  While  St. 
Mark  says,  "  his  raiment  became  shining,  exceeding 
white  as  snow,  so  as  no  fuller  on  earth  can  white  them." 
The  disciples,  awaking  out  of  sleep,  now  witness  this 
wonderful  change.  We  are  to  remember  in  attempting  to 
explain  this  event,  that  Jesus  went  up  to  the  mountain  to 
pray,  and  that  he  was  thus  employed  when  sleep  fell  upon 
the  eyes  of  his  three  followers.  If  we  connect  the  Trans- 
figuration  with   the   fact  that   He  was  praying,  we  will  at 


THE   TRANSFIGURATION.  •   85 

once  concede  the  change  was  not  brought  about  by  some 
external  cause.  The  rationalist  makes  easy  work  of  the 
explanation  by  saying  that  the  rays  of  the  setting  or  rising 
sun  fell  upon  Him,  and  lit  up  His  face,  and  were  reflected 
from  his  garments.  But  the  apostles  would  not  have  been 
awe-struck  as  they  were  at  sight  of  their  transformed 
Master,  though  it  must  be  confessed  that  light  at  certain 
seasons  is  followed  by  strange  and  startling  results.  We 
have  seen  it  throwing  a  weird  like  mantle  of  beauty  over 
scenery,  which  at  another  time  would  scarcely  attract 
attention.  Has  it  not  to  the  eye  of  the  traveller  changed 
the  desert  into  a  sea  of  glass,  or  robed  the  barren  moun- 
tain with  garments  of  silver  and  gold  ?  But  something 
more  than  this  is  involved  in  the  Transfiguration  of  our 
Lord.  He  had  risen  through  his  praying  moods,  from  one 
degree  of  spiritual  intensity  to  another,  till  all  that  was 
Divine  within  Him  was  expressed  in  His  countenance  and 
form.  We  have  seen  some  of  our  fellow-beings  passing 
through  intense  excitement  of  sorrower  joy,  and  they  were 
so  changed  to  our  eye  that  we  could  hardly  recognize  them. 
Does  not  conversion  often  produce  a  marvellous  change 
in  the  appearance — imparting  a  new  light  to  the  eye  and 
irradiating  the  countenance  ?  Take  the  Christian  as  he  is 
engaged  on  the  Lord's  Day  in  the  exercises  of  the  Sanct- 
uary, and  it  may  be  that  in  the  sacred  hymn,  or  by  a 
thought  from  the  preacher,  his  soul  is  wafted  upwards,  and 
catching  the  light  of  Heaven,  there  is  given  to  the  eye  a 
peculiar  brilliancy,  which  it  knows  not  in  its  ordinary 
moods.     Let  any  one  engage   in  some  ennobling  work  of 


86-  THE  TRANSFIGURATION, 

charity,  and  all  his  love  seems  to  settle  upon  his  counte- 
nance, and  to  impart  to  it  a  new  expression.  Or  look  at 
the  transforming  power  of  mind  in  the  artist  at  the  moment 
he  conceives  the  living  idea  which  his  skilled  hand  will 
afterwards  impress  on  canvass  or  on  marble ;  or  in  the 
poet  when  words  give  wings  to  his  thoughts,  and  these 
are  poured  forth  in  forms  that  will  live  forever ;  or  in  the 
inventor  as  he  discovers  some  hidden  principle  in  nature, 
and  applies  it  to  the  machine  or  instrument.  They  are 
changed  for  the  time  from  their  ordinary  look  and  ex- 
pression. Their  thoughts,  looking  out  at  the  windows  of 
the  eyes,  fill  them  with  a  wondrous  light.  Now,  apply 
this  well  recognized  principle  to  the  Saviour,  and  suppose 
Him  to  have  been,  as  some  persons  say,  a  man  namely, 
but  the  noblest  and  the  best  of  men, — a  man  reaching  in 
his  Transfiguration  prayer  the  loftiest  altitudes  of 
spiritual  excitement,  a  man  whose  one  thought  was  to  ful- 
fill in  his  lifetime  the  mission  of  doing  good,  now  approach- 
ing the  throne  of  God  in  the  utterances  of  his  soul.  At 
such  a  moment  would  he  not  be  transformed  indeed  !  We 
cannot  imagine  the  appearance  He  would  have  presented — 
his  eyes  turned  heavenwards  and  enkindled  with  the  light 
of  God's  love,  his  countenance  irradiated  by  the  intensity 
of  an  inward  joy,  his  frame  electrified  with  emotional 
excitement.  What  a  sublime  spectacle!  But  when  we 
add  to  this  that  He  was  the  Beloved  Son  of  God,  that  He 
was  the  brightness  of  the  Father's  glory,  that  in  Him  the 
human  and  the  divine  existed  in  perfect  harmony,  that 
when  at  such  a  moment  all  that   was  Divine   in   Him  rose 


THE  TRANSFIGURATION,  87 

through  the  spiritual  law  of  affinity  to  the  Father  on  His 
throne,  when  for  the  time  He  was  reinvested  with  all  the 
glory  He  had  from  the  beginning  with  the  Father,  when 
His  soul  exulted  in  the  comtemplation  of  that  infinite  Love 
which  gave  Him  to  this  world,  when  before  His  aspiring 
mind  there  rose  the  grand  and  glorious  kingdom  of 
redeemed  souls  He  was  to  conquer  and  make  His  own,  when 
there  was  presented  to  His  gaze  the  honor  and  glory  that 
would  be  gained  from  His  completed  work,  when  for  the 
time  being  the  spirits  of  enmity  could  not  touch  Him,  and 
He  was  ministered  unto  by  His  heavenly  legions,  we  may 
well  conclude  it  is  no  exaggerated  description  which  the 
Evangelist  gives  when  he  says,  "His  face  did  shine  as  the 
sun,  and  His  raiment  was  white  as  the  light."  Was  it  not 
tliis  heavenly  light  that  shone  in  the  face  of  Moses  when 
he  came  down  from  the  mount,  and  that  made  Aaron  and 
all  the  children  of  Israel  afraid  to  come  unto  him  ?  Was 
not  this  tne  holy  light  that  was  reflected  from  Stephen  when 
all  that  sat  in  the  council,  looking  steadfastly  on  him,  saw 
his  face  as  it  had  been  the  face  of  an  angel?  But  how 
much  more  startling  and  brilliant  must  it  have  been  with 
Jesus,  when  the  rays  of  the  Divine  Glory  fell  upon  Him 
from  heaven,  and  there  was  enkindled  to  its  highest  point 
of  intensity  the  divine  light  that  was  within  Him.  It  was 
the  one  view  these  disciples  had  of  what  the  Lord  was  in 
His  divine  nature,  of  the  honor  and  glory  which  belong  to 
Him,  and  of  the  greatness  and  majesty  that  would  be  His 
forever  after  His  redeeming  work  was  done.  It  was  a  rev- 
elation of  what  the  angels  and   redeemed  in  heaven  were 


8S  THE  TRANSFIGURATION. 

at  that  moment,  of  their  exalted  rank,  of  their  glorified 
countenances,  and  it  was  a  foretaste  to  them  of  the  happy 
time  when  they  "as  the  righteous  would  shine  forth  as  the 
sun,  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father.**'  Some  may  require 
the  aid  of  physical  light  to  help  them  realize  the  spectacle 
of  the  transfigured  Lord  ;  but  surely  we  may  conceive  it 
to  have  been  for  these  disciples  a  passing  glimpse  of  what 
Christ  is  now  in  the  kingdom  of  glory,  seated  at  the  right 
hand  of  the  majesty  on  high,  surrounded  with  attending 
legions  of  angels,  bearing  in  His  hand  the  sceptre  of 
righteousness,  and  crowned  with  the  everlasting  crown  of 
countless  ransomed  souls  saved  by  the  precious  blood  of 
Calvary. 

Immediately  upon  this  manifestation  of  the  glory  of 
Christ,  ''behold  there  appeared  unto  him  Moses  and 
Elias  talking  with  them."  This  may  be  viewed  either 
as  an  actual  occurrence,  or  as  a  vision.  Considered  as 
merely  a  vision,  the  lesson  conveyed  is  appropriate  and 
significant.  Indeed,  it  is  the  very  same  lesson  that  would 
be  taught  on  the  theory  of  this  being  a  real  occurrence. 
The  objection  to  this  being  considered  a  dream  is,  that 
the  disciples  were  now  wide  awake,  having  probably 
been  aroused  out  of  sleep  by  the  extraordinary  light. 
We  incline  rather  to  the  explanation  that  in  this  uni- 
verse of  sublime  mysteries  there  are  ever  near  and 
around  us  the  beings  of  another  world,  who  might  be 
perceived  by  us  were  there  given  to  us  an  increase  of 
spiritual  vision.  Samuel  after  death  appeared  to  Saul 
the  king.      Angels  visited  our  earthly   scenes    during  a 


THE   TRANSFIGURATION.  89 

large  portion  of  Old  Testament  history  and  held  inter- 
course with  many  of  God's  children.  It  was  no  vain 
boast  that  Christ  could  summon  to  his  aid  twelve 
legions  of  angels,  for  had  they  not  ushered  in  His  advent 
by  their  swelling  song,  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest, 
and  on  earth  peace  and  good  will  amongst  men?" 
Angels  came  and  ministered  unto  Him  after  the  signal 
triumph  he  gained  over  Satan.  Were  there  not  bright 
heavenly  messengers  watching  the  holy  place  where 
his  body  lay  ?  In  the  same  way  Stephen  beheld  the 
Lord  Jesus  when  he  was  being  stoned  to  death,  and 
he  cried  to  him,  '  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit.'  And 
what  of  Saul  when  with  rage  and  hatred  he  pursued  his 
way  to  Damascus  to  put  to  death  all  who  professed  to 
believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  he  suddenly  be- 
held the  eye  of  Jesus  looking  upon  him,  and  heard  a 
voice,  saying,  "  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  me  ?" 
We  prefer,  then,  the  interpretation  that  Moses  and  Elijah 
were  really  present  with  Christ  in  the  midst  of  the 
scenes  of  his  transfiguration.  Had  this  visitation  not 
occurred,  the  tableau  of  Christ  attended  by  Moses  and 
Elijah  must  be  viewed  as  a  grand  conception  of  the 
human  mind.  But  as  we  doubt  not  its  reality,  let  us 
now  endeavor  to  point  out  its  purpose.  Let  us  for  a 
moment  imagine  the  group  as  they  appeared  to  the 
eyes  of  the  disciples.  There  is  Christ  the  central  figure 
in  a  blaze  of  heavenly  light.  Here,  Moses,  whose  body 
was  spirited  away  from  the  idolatrous  Israelites,  and 
there  Elijah,  who  tasted  not  of  death,  but    mounted    up 


90  THE  TRANSFIGURATION. 

to  the  Heavenly  Kingdom  on  a  flaming  chariot  of  fire  \ 
Moses  and  Elijah  shining  with  light  which  fell  from  the 
Lord's  countenance  and  garments  !  These  are  fit  com- 
panions for  the  Lord  during  His  transfiguration  glory  ; 
Moses,  on  the  one  hand,  the  illustrious  lawgiver,  in  his 
meekness  and  wisdom,  a  striking  type  of  Christ;  Moses 
and  Christ  in  loving  counsel,  the  exponents  of  John's 
suggestive  commentary,  "The  law  was  given  by  Moses, 
but  grace  and  truth  came  by  Jesus  Christ."  Moses, 
Christ  and  Elijah  in  happy  concourse,  an  embodiment 
of  what  the  Lord  uttered  in  His  sermon  on  the  mount, 
.'Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  destroy  the  law  ;  I  am 
not  come  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfill."  Moses  in  this  group 
pointing  to  Christ  intimates  that,  the  law  which  he 
declared  from  God,  is  fulfilled  in  the  Messiah.  Elijah, 
as  the  worthy  representative  of  all  the  prophets,  gives 
Peter  scope  to  say  in  his  memorable  address  to  Cornelius, 
*'To  Him  give  all  the  prophets  witness,  that  through  His 
name  whosoever  believeth  in  him  shall  receive  remission 
of  sins."  For  you  will  notice,  my  brethren,  the  im- 
portant words  in  the  description  of  St.  Luke,  **  and 
behold  there  talked  with  him  two  men,  which  were 
Moses  and  Elias  ;  who  appeared  in  glory,  and  spake  of 
his  decease  which  he  would  accoi7iplish  at  Jerusalejfi.'*  These 
words  explain  the  joy  and  glory  of  Christ  at  this 
moment,  as  reflected  in  his  face  shining  and  his  gar- 
ment white  as  light.  It  was  the  death  which  He  was  to 
accomplish  at  Jerusalem,  which  during  the  past  week 
he  had  so  clearly  intimated    to   his    disciples,    that  was 


THE  TRANSFIGURATION.  91 

filling  his  soul  with  holy  excitement  and  ennobling 
desire.  It  was  his  death  which  was  the  theme  of  his 
converse,  the  death  that  had  been  prefigured  in  the  sacri- 
fices made  under  the  appointment  of  Moses  when  he 
was  in  the  flesh.  It  was  that  death  which  had  inspired 
the  souls  of  prophets  when  they  sung  as  did  Isaiah, 
"  He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions;  He  was 
bruised  for  our  iniquities  ;  the  chastisement  of  our 
peace  was  upon  him;  and  with  his  stripes  .we  are 
healed."  If  the  angels  desire  to  look  into  these  things, 
what  more  lofty  theme  could  have  occupied  the  atten- 
tion of  Jesus,  Moses  and  Elijah  than  the  death  which 
was  to  accomplish  the  deliverance  of  mankind  from  sin 
and  guilt  ?  And  it  is  a  most  suggestive  part  of  this 
narrative  which  tells  us  that  after  the  voice  of  God  was 
heard,  saying,  ''This  is  my  Beloved  Son,"  Moses  and 
Elijah  disappeared,  and  left  the  central  figure  standing 
alone  in  all  the  conscious  dignity  and  majesty,  which 
had  been  inspired  in  Him  in  his  manifested  glory.  The 
light  of  the  Lawgiver  and  Prophet  merges  in  the  bright 
shining  of  the  Saviour,  and  is  no  longer  seen  in  pres- 
ence of  Him  who  is  the  Light  of  the  World;  even  as  the 
feebler  rays  of  the  stars  can  no  longer  be  discerned 
when  the  sun  has  risen  in  his  splendor.  The  grand 
central  truth  of  the  Transfiguration  scene  may  be  summed 
up  in  these  words.  *'  This  is  Christy  who  is  far  above  all 
principality  and  power  and  might  and  dominion^  and  every 
name  that  is  named,  not  only  in  this  worlds  but  also  in  that 
which  is  to  come" 


92  THE   TRANSFIGURATION, 

It  is  characteristic  of  Peter  that  he  can  speak  at  such  a 
moment  as  this.  James  and  John  were  of  a  different 
mould,  and  were  too  deeply  impressed  by  the  Transfigur- 
ation glory  to  think  of  uttering  a  single  word.  Thus  was 
Peter  all  through  his  career — forward,  impulsive,  ever  the 
first  to  break  the  silence  with  his  tongue.  Who  was  the 
foremost  to  confess  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God,  without  thinking  on  the  full  meaning  of  his  words? 
Which  of  the  disciples  rebuked  the  Master  as  he  prophe- 
sied of  His  death  at  Jerusalem  ?  Was  it  not  Peter  ?  And 
it  was  Peter,  when  Christ  came  to  the  disciples  walking  on 
the  sea,  who  asked  to  be  permitted  to  walk  also.  It  was  the 
same  disciple  who  made  the  strongest  protestation  that  he 
wouldfoUowChrist  to  the  bitter  end.  It  is  true  St.  Mark 
and  St.  Luke  state  that  on  the  occasion  of  the  Transfigura- 
tion scene  Peter  did  not  know  what  he  said.  He  is,  there- 
fore, a  fit  type  of  all  those  who  speak  without  thinking, 
who  must  always  be  talking,  and  who  do  not  know  what 
reverential  silence  means.  And  yet  his  words  had  surely 
some  intention  in  them.  What  did  he  say?  "Then  answered 
Peter,  and  said  unto  Jesus,  Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be 
here  ;  if  Thou  wilt  let  us  make  here  three  tabernacles  ;  one 
for  Thee  ,and  one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elias."  He  wanted 
an  impossibility, — that  this  scene  should  last  forever,  that 
Christ  should  continue  always  in  this  Transfiguration 
glory,  and  there  was  the  mistake  that  such  glorified  beings 
required  for  this  purpose  the  ordinary  dwellings  of  men, 
such  as  tents  or  tabernacles.  The  Transfiguration  was 
not  intended  to  last  forever.     It  was  a  single  event,  given 


THE   TRANSFIGURATION.  93 

for  the  purpose  of  confirming  the  disciples'  faith,  and  of 
strengthening  the  Lord  himself.  It  would  have  unfitted 
these  disciples  for  taking  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  world. 
As  it  was,  it  was  an  earnest  of  the  glory  that  was  reserved 
for  Christ  after  His  redemption  work  was  finished.  It  was 
a  revelation  to  these  disciples  of  the  majesty  of  Him  whom 
they  were  permitted  to  serve,  before  He  would  come  to 
the  last  act  of  His  life's  drama,  and  put  off  His  divinity 
that  He  might  stoop  to  shame  and  death.  It  was  also  an 
interpretation  of  that  death  which  they  would  afterwards 
remember  when  their  Lord  had  risen  to  His  everlasting 
glory,  of  which  the  Transfiguration  was  a  symbol  and  fore- 
taste. To  have  stayed  on  the  mount  and  been  made 
spectators  of  a  whole  panorama  of  Transfigurations,  would 
have  demanded  an  unwarrantable  number  of  miracles 
whic'i  would  have  answered  no  real  good  purpose. 
Besides,  there  was  selfishness  in  the  request.  Peter  thought 
not  of  the  disciples  who  were  left  behind.  He  did  not 
reflect  upon  the  wonderful  hold  Christ  had  on  men's  hearts, 
and  upon  the  continued  benefaction  he  was  to  the  world's 
sufferers.  He  did  not  realize  that  Christ  had  a  mission, 
and  that  mission  was  to  be  fulfilled  not  on  the  mountain 
tops,  but  in  the  lowly  plains  and  in  the  crowded  thorough- 
fares where  men  dwelt.  He  was  the  kind  and  good 
Physician  who  must  be  amongst  His  patients.  He  was  the 
Teacher  who  must  be  surrounded  by  listeners.  He  came 
to  this  world  not  for  the  glorification  of  Peter,  but  for  the 
salvation  of  sinners.  Peter's  latent  thought  was  for 
himself,  as  it  was  all  along,  as  it  was   when  he  desired  to 


<34  THE  TRANSFIGURATION. . 

walk  on  the  water,  and  when  he  too  rashly  vowed  he  would 
not  deny  his  Master.  There  is  a  valuable  lesson  read  to 
us  here.  When  we  are  enjoying  the  calm  and  rest  of  our 
transfiguration  mount,  the  holy  Sabbath  day,  when  our 
souls  are  borne  upwards  with  the  inspirations  of  God's 
house,  when  we  feel  that  God's  Sanctuary  is  a  banquetting 
chamber,  and  that  "in  this  mountain  the  Lord  of  hosts 
makes  a  feast  of  fat  things,  a  feast  of  wines  on  the  lees,  of 
fat  things  full  of  marrow,  of  wines  on  the  lees  well 
refined,"  we  are  apt  to  say  let  us  make  here  our  tabernacles 
for  a  perpetual  residence.  We  think  how  much  better  it 
would  be  to  be  exercised  uninterruptedly  with  spiritual 
things.  We  would  pray  always.  We  would  be  always 
singing.  It  would  be  a  constant  communion  of  the  saints. 
Men  have  tried  this  on  a  small  scale,  and  as  individuals, 
and  have  failed.  Men  have  tried  it  on  a  large  scale,  and 
as  communities,  such  as  the  monks,  and  have  failed.  If 
the  Church  could  be  made  a  perpetual  dwelling-house, 
there  would  be  no  need  of  heaven.  The  services  of  God's 
house  are  intended  for  rest  and  refreshment,  and  to  fit  us 
for  the  practical  duties  of  life.  We  must  go  down  from 
the  mount  of  ordinances  to  our  homes  and  stores  and 
factories — the  mother  to  her  routine  cares,  the  child  to  his 
tasks,  the  husband  to  the  sweat  and  toil  of  life.  What  a 
blessing  indeed  the  Sabbath !  but  it  would  be  without 
meaning  were  there  not  the  six  days  of  toil.  What  a 
happiness  the  Church,  but  it  would  pall  upon  our  dull 
spiritual  senses  were  we  not  obliged  to  earn  our  bread. 
We  are  to  sing  and  pray  that  we  may  work  all  the  better 


THE   TRANSFIGURATION.  95 

for  it.  And  we  have  to  remember  that  while  we  might  be 
standing  on  the  mount,  what  of  our  brothers  and  sisters 
toiling  below  ?  We  must  go  out  from  the  church  that  we 
may  draw  in  others.  We  must  leave  our  pews  and  do  as 
Andrew  did — bring  his  brother  to  Christ.  We  must  leave 
our  home  in  the  Church,  and  take  our  journey,  that  like 
the  good  Samaritan  we  may  be  in  the  way  of  doing  good — 
helping  the  feeble,  soothing  the  suffering,  and  throwing 
our  arms  around  the  dying. 

It  was  sufficient  rebuke  of  Peter's  forwardness  that  no 
answer  was  made  to  his  request.  The  scene  was  not 
completed.  There  was  more  of  wonder  in  store  for  these 
favored  witnesses.  ''While  Peter  yet  spake,  behold  a 
white  cloud  overshadowed  them;  and  behold  a  voice  out 
of  the  cloud,  which  said,  '  This  is  my  beloved  Son  in  whom 
I  am  well  pleased,  hear  ye  Him.' "  We  understand  by 
these  words  that  for  the  time  the  cloud  came  between  the 
transfigured  form  of  Christ  and  the  three  disciples — 
overshadowing  them  and  hiding  Him  from  their  gaze.  It 
was  a  bright  cloud,  as  if  the  whole  Divinity  were  concen- 
trated on  one  point.  Let  us  remember  that  a  cloud  was 
the  chosen  symbol  of  God.  It  was  in  the  cloud  of  pillar 
and  fire  that  God  moved  forward,  leading  the  hosts  of 
Israel.  We  read  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  "I  come  unto 
thee  in  a  thick  cloud."  The  prophet  Isaiah  says,  "The 
Lord  rideth  on  a  thick  cloud."  And  the  Saviour,  in  refer- 
ring to  His  second  coming,  declares  that  "the  Son  of  IMan 
shall  be  seen  coming  in  a  cloud."  God  thus  veiled  him- 
self, because   no   sinful  man  could  look  on  his  face  and 


96  THE   TRANSFIGURATION. 

live.  Behind  that  cloud  all  that  was  divine  in  Christ 
merged  into  the  divinity  of  the  Father,  and  they  were 
one,  as  they  had  been  from  all  eternity,  and  as  they  would 
continue  to  be,  after  the  sacrifice  of  the  cross  was  ac- 
complished. It  was  a  sight  which  these  three  witnesses 
could  not  have  beheld  and  lived.  It  is  the  glorious  spec- 
tacle which  is  reserved  for  God's  children  in  heaven,  when 
they  shall  be  like  God  and  see  Him  as  He  is  But  while 
God  cannot  show  Himself  to  fleshly  creatures,  He  can 
make  Himself  heard.  He  spoke  to  Adam  in  Paradise. 
He  gave  special  directions  to  Abraham.  He  addressed 
Moses  from  the  midst  of  the  burning  bush.  He  imparted 
to  him  the  two  tables  of  commandments.  He  broke  the 
silence  of  the  heavens  at  the  baptism  of  our  Lord,  saying, 
''This  is  my  beloved  Son  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased." 
In  almost  the  same  words  God  now  addressed  these 
disciples,  adding,  ''hear  ye  Him,"  that  is,  listen  to  my 
Son's  instructions.  Be  obedient  to  His  commandments. 
Follow  Him.  Be  His  witnesses.  We  may  explain  the 
voice  of  God  speaking  to  men  in  either  of  two  ways; 
either,  first,  as  God  expressing  Himself  by  means  of 
particular  sound,  or  as  God  teaching  us  His  thoughts 
through  our  consciousness.  If  the  latter,  the  impression 
is  so  vivid  to  those  who  are  accustomed  to  employ  speech 
and  language  that  we  think  it  is  a  voice  speaking  to  us. 
I  am  sure  some  of  us  have  felt  at  times  as  though  God 
were  calling  to  us.  In  the  silence  of  the  night,  as  we  lie 
awake,  thinking  of  God,  of  heaven,  and  eternity,  who  has 
not  felt  as  though  someone  were  speaking?      We  are  some 


THE  TRANSFIGURATION.  97 

times  startled  by  apparent  sounds  which  we  afterwards  are 
convinced  were  but  the  fancies  of  the  mind.     In  reading 
the  works  of  some  well  known  preacher,  I  seem  to  hear 
his  voice  as  a  distinct  aural  sensation.     Let  the  words  of 
some  familiar   hymn   come   into  your  mind,  and  the  tune 
to  which  it  is  sung  will  seem  as  still  sounding  in  your  ear. 
God  is  speaking  to  us  every  day,  and  some  of  us  are  so 
constituted  that  we  cannot  help  thinking  we  now  hear  His 
voice.     But  while  this  is  true,  and  while  this  theory  does 
not  in  the  least  militate  against  the  Scriptural  statement 
that  a  voice  was  heard,  it  is  obvious  to  remark  that  there 
is  no  well  known  reason  why  God  may  not  speak  to  men,, 
as  they  speak  to  one  another.    He  commands  the  lightning 
and  thunder.     He  created  the  air  by  which  sound  is  con- 
ducted.    He  constructed  that  most  delicate  organ  the  ear, 
and  adapted  it  to  the  atmosphere.     He  made  the  voice, 
and  gave  to  it  all  its  wonderful  variety  of  tones.    And  can 
He  not  speak,   who  made   His  creatures  speak  >     These 
words  of  the  Father,    ''This  is    my  beloved  Son,"  give 
.  meaning  to  the  whole  scene.     It  is  a  second  declaration  of 
the  Sonship,  and  spoken  to  these  three  that  in  aftertimes 
they  might  be  impressed  by  it,  and  that  they  might  be  able 
to  interpret  to  others  the  meaning  of  His  death.     But  for 
the  voice  the  vision  might  have  faded  from  their  minds. 
The  words  fixed   upon   them   the   transfiguration   scene. 
These   words   were   instructive— revealing    to    them   the 
mystery  of  the  incarnation— preparing  them  for  the  recep- 
tion  of   the   Gospel   of   Christ,  and  giving  them  vantage 
ground  as  preachers  of  that  Gospel. 


98  -  THE  TRANSFIGURATION. 

But  the  immediate  effect  of  the  voice  was  that  the 
disciples  fell  on  their  face  and  were  sore  afraid.  How 
true  this  is  to  human  nature.  Men  are  more  affected  by 
sounds  than  by  sights.  They  are  more  readily  startled 
by  words.  Peter  was  silent  enough  now,  though  he  was 
not  restrained  by  reverence  from  breaking  in  upon  the 
grandeur  of  the  transfiguration  scene  by  unseasonable 
words.  He  could  not  have  spoken  any  more.  They  fell 
on  their  face — surely  a  becoming  attitude  for  humble  and 
sinful  men.  They  were  sore  afraid,  because  of  an  experi- 
ence so  unwonted.  And  yet  they  had  stood  beside  Christ 
as  he  turned  the  water  into  wine,  as  he  raised  the  dead, 
as  he  fed  the  multitudes,  and  had  no  fear. 

Long  would  they  have  lain  on  the  ground  had  not 
Jesus  come  and  touched  them,  and  said,  ''Arise,  and  be 
not  afraid."  It  is  the  same  gentle  companion  that  speaks 
now  as  spoke  to  them  all  the  time.  It  is  the  same  loving 
friend.  It  is  He  who  strengthens  and  comforts  them 
in  the  midst  of  their  fears.  It  is  He  who  rose  up  in 
the  majesty  of  His  strength  and  rebuked  the  winds  and  the 
sea.  It  is  He  who  came  walking  to  them  on  the  waters, 
at  each  step  treading  down  the  boisterous  wave,  and  saying 
**Be  not  afraid.  It  is  I."  It  is  He  who  promised 
them  where  two  or  three  should  be  gathered  together  in 
His  name.  He  would  be  with  them.  It  is  He  who  said, 
before  He  ascended  up  on  high,  ''LoIIam  with  you 
alway,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world."  And  it  is  this 
Jesus  who  comes  to  us  now  in  our  sorrows,  and  says, 
''Arise,  and  be   not  afraid."     Let  us  keep  in  mind  that 


THE   TRANSFIGURATION.  99 

His  promise  is  to  be  with  us  in  all  circumstances,  and 
that,  in  faith  of  this  we,  with  the  apostle  Paul,  may  be 
able  to  say,  '*I  can  do  all  things  through  Christ  which 
strengtheneth  me." 

Comforted  and  assured  by  the  loving  words  of  their 
Master,  "they  lifted  up  their  eyes  and  saw  no  man,  save 
Jesus  only."  The  transfiguration  scene  was  over. 
Moses  and  Elijah  were  no  longer  visible.  The  strange 
voice  had  ceased.  There  was  Jesus  only.  That  is,  only 
Jesus  as  He  was.  He  is  the  very  same  person  still,  not- 
withstanding that  so  much  honor  had  just  been  given 
Him.  But  Christ  is  no  less  a  king  before,  than  He 
was  after.  His  kingly  enthronement.  He  who  took 
sinners  by  the  hand  down  amongst  the  dwellings  of  men  is 
still  the  same  after  His  coronation  glory,  and  will  be 
more  a  helper  of  the  suffering  than  ever.  And  He  is  the 
same  Jesus  to  these  disciples,  that  He  had  been  before 
and  always.  They  might  feel  it  is  well  with  us  that,  the 
strange  sights  and  sounds  and  personages  having  pass- 
ed away,  we  have  Jesus  only  with  us.  I  think  this 
is  very  suggestive.  We  are  now  on  the  holy  mount — 
witnessing  to  one  another  our  love  for  the  Saviour — 
there  are  wafted  into  our  ears  the  sweet  sound  of 
praise.  We  have  had  Moses  and  Elijah  present  to 
our  thoughts,  and  maybe  some  of  you  have  been 
looking  up  into  other  scenes,  of  which  this  Church  and 
its  services  are  emblematical.  Perhaps  God  has  spoken 
to  you  from  out  of  His  cloud  !  And  in  a  few  moments 
more  this  congregation  shall  have  parted — these  sounds 


100  THE  TRANSFIGURATION. 

of  music  shall  have  died  away — the  vision  of  the  glori- 
fied beings  who  sing  round  the  throne  of  God  shall  have 
gone — the  ladder  we  have  seen  going  up  from  this  altar 
to  the  throne  of  Heaven,  on  which  we  beheld  angels 
ascending  and  descending,  shall  have  disappeared,  and 
well  for  us  if,  then  we  see  Jesus  only — have  Him  with 
us  for  our  companion  and  guide.  I  remember  on  one 
occasion  being  deeply  impressed  with  this  thought. 
The  Academy  of  Music  in  Philadelphia  was  crowded  to  the 
doors,  speakers  stood  upon  the  platform,  and  in  uttering 
their  thoughts,  it  seemed  none  other  than  the  still  small 
voice  of  God  addressing  men.  It  was  a  dazzling  spectacle. 
At  length  the  meeting  closed,  and  I  remember  waiting  till 
these  thousands  had  melted  out  of  sight,  and  standing  alone 
in  that  immense  chamber  with  but  few  of  the  lights  still 
burning,  methought  Jesus  only  is  here  to  bless  and  keep 
me.  Yes,  brethren,  it  is  our  comfort  to  know,  when 
dear  ones  have  passed  away  from  us,  that  Jesus  is  ours. 
May  we  not  say  of  ourselves  as  was  said  of  the  disciples, 
"And  when  they  had  lifted  up  their  eyes,  they  saw  no 
man  save  Jesus  only?" 


PRAYER. 

Thou,  O  God,  hast  brought  us  thus  far.  We  have  by  Thy  goodness 
been  carried  up  Transfiguration  Heights,  and  permitted  to  see  Jesus 
with  Moses  and  Elijah  ministering  to  Him.  For  the  second  time  we 
have  heard  the  voice,  "This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased,  hear  ye  him."  Oh,  sink  this  utterance  deep  in  our  souls. 
And  when  the  Heavenly  Glory  has  passed  from  sight,  give  us  the  feeling 
of  having  Jesus — Jesus  only.  Then  we  have  what  will  suffice  in  ever}'- 
sorrow,  in  every  joy,  in  all  our  bereavements  and  exaltations.  Let 
each  of  us  have  Jesus  only,  and  we  are  armed  with  God.  Eternity  is 
on  our  side.     We  are  impregnable.     Amen. 


Help  us,  O  Lord,  thy  yoke  to  wear. 
Delighting  in  thy  perfect  will; 

Each  other's  burdens  learn  to  bear, 
And  thus  thy  law  of  love  fulfill. 


A  TELLING  PRINCIPLE. 
SERMON  VIL 

Remember   the   zvords  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  hoiu  he  said,  It 
is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive. — ACTS  xx.  35. 

So  thought  Paul.  In  some  such  words  the  Lord  Jesus 
taught.  But  the  world  does  not  believe  in  the  principle 
contained  in  this  sentence.  It  reverses  the  words  and 
says,  ''It  is  more  blessed  to  receive  than  to  give."  At 
least,  every  man,  who  is  actuated  by  the  worldly  spirit, 
thinks  of  gain,  profit,  accumulation  of  property,  as  the  end 
and  aim  of  life.  To  tell  such  a  person  that  to  give  is 
human,  that  to  give  rather  than  receive  yields  the  greater 
profit,  that  to  sacrifice  self  for  the  sake  of  humanity  is  to 
follow  the  noblest  example  the  world  has  seen,  would  be 
to  address  him  in  an  unknown  tongue.  He  receives  as 
first  principles,  as  axiomatic  truths,  such  proverbial  sayings 
as  these,  ** mind  your  business,"  ''make  money  honestly, 
if  you  can,  but  make  money,''  "  honesty  is  the  best  policy," 
as  much  as  to  say  that  something  else  may  be  good  policy. 
Texts  like  these  carry  the  greatest  weight.  Such  maxims 
are  by  no  means  disregarded.  They  are  common  to  all 
countries  and  languages.  They  express  a  general  thought — 
thank  God — not  the  universal  idea.     Accordingly  men  are 


104  A    TELLING  PRINCIPLE. 

everywhere  taking  advantage  of  one  another.  The  clever 
man,  according  to  the  popular  notion,  is  he  who  makes  the 
most  money  in  the  shortest  space  of  time,  and  with  the 
fewest  scruples.  No  wonder  such  terms  as  beiievole?ice, 
sympathy^  self-sacrifice  have  lost  their  deep  meaning.  Are 
we  astonished  that  men  no  longer  listen  with  reverence  to 
such  words  as,  ''  Let  us  labor,  working  with  our  hands  the 
thing  which  is  good,  that  we  may  give  to  him  that  needeth," 
or,  *'We  then  that  are  strong  ought  to  bear  the  infirmities 
of  the  weak,  and  not  to  please  ourselves,"  or  ''Bear  ye  one 
another's  burdens  and  so  fulfill  the  law  of  Christ,''  or  "The 
words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  how  he  said.  It  is  more  blessed 
to  give  than  to  receive?" 

The  text  implies  that  it  is  less  blessed  to  receive  than  to 
give.  We  are  not,  therefore,  to  conclude  it  is  not  blessed 
to  receive.  Circumstances  may  indeed  rob  receiving  of  its 
blessedness.  There  may  be  a  total  want  of  appreciation 
on  the  part  of  the  mere  receiver.  He  may  lack  gratitude 
for  the  gifts  bestowed  and  render  railing  and  cursing  for 
blessing  and  praise.  In  such  circumstances  a  man  cannot 
receive  as  a  Christian.  Again,  the  necessity  that  calls  for 
help  from  others  may  be  of  our  making.  If  brought  to 
starvation  and  beggary  through  our  own  misconduct,  or 
sloth,  or  envy  and  hatred,  so  long  as  these  sins  are  not 
repented  of,  we  cannot  in  a  Christian  spirit  receive  the 
kindly  gifts,  with  which  others  may  be  ministering  to  the 
wants  which  we  ourselves  have  created.  Through  hardness 
of  heart  the  benefactions  which  are  bestowed  upon  us  do 
not  stir  our  souls  into  love  and  esteem.     How  many  on  this 


A    TELLING  PRINCIPLE.  105 

account,  on  whom  the  blessings  of  charity  are  poured, 
never  exhibit  humble  gratitude,  but  rather  turn  upon  their 
benefactors  as  though  they  were  their  worst  enemies.  Alas! 
it  is  so.  But  on  the  other  hand  there  is  a  Christian 
receiving  as  well  as  giving.  And  when  so  placed  that  the 
good  deeds  of  others  are  seen  to  be  substantial  mercies 
sent  to  us  in  the  kind  providence  of  God,  we  will  show 
ourselves  to  be  the  children  of  God  by  thanking  Him  as 
the  giver  of  every  good  and  perfect  gift,  and  by  turning 
with  fond  gratitude  to  those  who  have  been  kindly 
instrumental  in  bringing  to  us  such  a  portion  of  Heavenly 
blessing.  This  brings  us  to  the  topic  of  our  discourse 
— the  co7nparative  value  of  giving  and  receiving.  ''Remember 
the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  how  He  said,  *  It  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than  to  receive.' " 

I.  We  remark,  in  the  first  place,  that  to  give  implies 
maturity  and  power  that  are  wanting  in  the  mere  receiver. 
The  one  occupies  a  higher  place  than  the  other.  The  one 
has  fullness  to  compare  with  the  other's  emptiness.  He 
has  accordingly  in  himself  the  happiness  of  possessing 
those  thmgs  with  which  he  freely  parts. 

Perhaps  the  most  striking  example  of  giving  and 
receiving,  which  we  can  take  from  our  human  life,  is  that 
which  is  seen  in  the  relation  of  parent  and  child.  An 
infant  brings  nothing  except  a  mother's  love  with  it  into 
the  world.  On  being  ushered  into  life,  how  helpless  and 
dependent!  But  the  mother  takes  the  child  into  her 
warm  bosom,  and  feeds  it  from  the  perennial  fountain  of 
her  love.     She  gives  away  her  strength — her  very  life — to 


io6  A    TELLING  PRINCIPLE. 

another.  Then  think  of  all  the  fostering  care  which  must 
be  bestowed  upon  that  babe  long  before  it  can  utter  a 
responsive  word  or  move  about  the  room.  Imagine  the 
weary  labors,  the  anxieties,  the  fastings,  sleepless'ness,  the 
yearning  love  of  that  father,  who  is  honestly  proud  of  the 
angel  God  has  put  in  his  hands, — all  that  he  may  earn 
bread  and  comfort  for  the  little  one.  Having  provided 
for  the  body  then  there  come  harassing  cares  and 
strenuous  persevering  efforts  to  cultivate  the  mind  and 
direct  the  heart  of  the  child.  Here  is  a  work  to  strain  the 
strength  of  these  loving  parents.  How  it  often  furrows 
the  brow  and  whitens  the  hair  of  such  toiling  ones ! 
Follow  these  parents  as  their  children  are  growing  from 
infancy  and  leaving  boy  and  girlhood  behind,  and  witness 
their  sacrifices  to  get  them  an  honorable  place  in  the 
world.  Well,  while  praising  such  self-denying  efforts,  is  it 
not  true  that  these  parents  are  thus  showing  they  occupy 
a  higher  platform  in  the  scale  of  life  than  their  children? 
They  have  what  their  dear  ones  want.  Into  the  exquisite 
enjoyments  they  have  in  giving  their  children  cannot  enter. 
Alas  !  alas  !  has  it  not  cost  many  painful  thoughts  to  look 
back  upon  the  cares  and  anxieties  of  our  parents  when 
shielding  and  protecting  our  childhood,  and  upon  our 
want  of  gratitude  as  we  received  the  very  best  they  had  to 
give  And  yet  there  is  some  comfort  in  thinking  their 
very  power  to  give  argued  enjoyments  and  possessions  that 
were  then  above  our  experience.  Children  receiving 
cannot  rejoice  as  parents  who  give.  The  smile  that 
dimples  the  rosy  cheek  only  points  to  the  fountain  of  joy 


A    TELLING  PRINCIPLE.  107 

in  the  father's  heart.  The  food  which  nourished  the 
babe,  the  clothing  which  gave  warmth  and  protection — 
these  are  but  symbols  of  the  love  glowing  in  the  mother's 
heart.  The  simple  lessons  portraying  the  love  of  God, 
the  self-sacrificing  spirit  of  Christ,  and  setting  forth  the 
duties  of  their  little  ones  towards  God  and  man,  were  but 
finger-posts  pointing  to  the  deep-piety,  reverence,  the 
spirit  of  filial  obedience  to  God,  existing  in  the  hearts  of 
father  and  mother.  What  through  their  instrumentality 
was  but  germinating  in  the  tender  souls  of  their  offspring, 
had  already  been  developed  in  their  own  hearts  and  lives. 
No,  the  child  can  never  be  as  the  parent  until  he  comes  to 
the  same  responsibility.  The  child  cannot  be  as  the  man. 
And  so  it  is  seen  that  the  man  or  woman  enjoying  the 
matured  power  which  ministers  to  the  weakness  and  wants 
of  the  child  is  an  illustration  of  the  words  of  our  Lord, 
"  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive. " 

To  illustrate  further  the  thought  now  before  us,  let  us 
look  to  the  philanthropist.  He  is  eminently  the  giver, — 
the  poor,  the  wretched,  the  ignorant,  the  orphan  and 
widow — as  the  case  may  be — are  the  receivers.  It  is  not 
imagination  speaking  when  we  picture  in  brilliant  colors 
the  lives  of  the  loving-hearted.  History  is  full  of  them. 
We  believe  that  every  age  has  given  birth  to  men  and 
women  devoting  themselves  and  their  means  to  benefit 
their  fellow-men.  Our  own  age  is  not  wanting  in  many 
illustrious  examples.  Ragged  schools,  orphanages, 
hospitals,  as  well  as  countless  private  benefactions,  are 
evidence  of  this.     Wherever  there  has  been  distress,  or 


io8  A    TELLING  PRINCIPLE. 

want,  or  suffering  of  a  special  kind,  there  is  some  one  raised 
to  meet  the  case  and  with  kindly  heart  and  skillful  hands 
relieve  it.  The  cruelties  practiced  upon  slaves,  and  the 
degradation  in  which  they  were  involved  stirred  the  soul 
Wilberforce  and  led  him  to  devote  his  life  to  the  cause  of 
emancipation.  The  barbarous  and  savage  treatment 
meted  out  to  inmates  of  prisons,  to  convicts  of  the  galleys, 
to  victims  of  insanity,  gave  work  to  Howard,  the  philan- 
thropist. The  orphan  and — worse  than  that — the  child  of 
the  beggarly  drunkard  or  convicted  criminal,  have  given 
rise  to  noble  institutions  by  which  Muller  and  Guthrie  will 
ever  be  remembered.  The  name  of  Peabody,  who  devoted 
millions  to  the  cause  of  education,  to  build  homes,  to 
found  museums  and  churches  is  a  household  one.  There 
are  besides  hosts  of  givers,  whose  works  are  not  heralded, 
shaded  in  obscurity,  yet  going  through  toil  and  sacrifice  to 
help  their  fellow — creatures.  While  all  these  are  seemingly 
throwing  themselves  away,  how  truly  the  words  apply  to 
each  one,  "It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive!" 
The  wonderful  means  required  to  accomplish  such  bene- 
volent purposes,  for  the  most  part  accumulated  through 
their  own  industry  and  talents; — above  all,  the  heart,  the 
love  they  have  to  give,  argue  fullness  and  power — placing 
them  on  a  platform  far  above  not  only  the  recipients  of 
their  kindness  but  even  the  generality  of  fellow — men. 
A  man  who  lives  amid  squalid  filth  and  beggary  and 
disease,  and  does  nothing  to  lift  his  fellows  from  deep 
degradation  shows  he  is  no  better  nor  higher  than  they; 
but  he  who  labors  and  sacrifices  to  lift  them  out  of  the  mire 


A    TELLING  PRINCIPLE.  109 

not  only  enjoys  light,  air  and  cleanly  rooms  himself,  but 
has  a  mind  to  appreciate  the  very  blessings  he  gives.  He 
who  can  dwell  amid  ignorance  and  prejudice,  and  never 
feel  any  stirrings  of  soul  to  aid  in  the  education  of  his 
fellow-men,  must  be  ignorant  and  brutish  himself.  But 
he  who  gives  money  and  influence  to  educate  and  civilize 
men  must  have  a  mind  to  appreciate  truth  and  goodness. 
The  person  who  is  well  contented  to  live  amongst 
Godless,  Christless  people  without  the  desire  to  win  their 
souls  must  be  Godless  and  Christless  too.  But  he,  who 
goes  forth  carrying  precious  seed,  must  have  it  growing 
in  his  own  heart.  In  his  soul  the  knowledge  of  God 
and  Jesus  Christ  must  be  life  and  peace  and  joy.  The 
fountain  not  flowing  must  be  exhausted  and  empty — the 
tree  not  yielding  must  in  itself  be  barren.  But  what 
fullness  in  the  fountain  that  is  ever  flowing,  what  health 
and  maturity  in  the  tree  whose  branches  are  bending  with 
fruit !  And  so  what  maturity  and  power  in  him  who  is 
giving  for  the  good  of  mankind  !  Compared  with  the 
weakness  and  ignorance  and  degradation  that  call  forth 
his  efforts,  how  much  better  is  he  !  As  the  stream  is  but 
a  miniature  form  of  the  lake  from  which  it  flows,  as  the 
fruit  is  small  and  imperfect,  compared  with  its  yielding 
trees,  as  the  ray  is  but  the  infinitesimal  fragment  of  the 
Sun's  light,  so  the  receiver  at  the  hands  of  the  benev- 
olent is  weak  and  helpless  compared  with  him  from  whose 
fullness  he  has  received.  Does  not  the  life  of  every  one 
who  has  a  heart  to  give  and  love  exemplify  the  meaning 
of  the  Saviour's  words,  'Tt  is  more  blessed  to  give  than 
to  receive?" 


no  A    TELLING  PRINCIPLE. 

II.  But  let  US  advance  to  another  thought,  and  observe, 
in  the  second  place,  that  receiving  is  after  all  only  a 
preparation  for  giving.  ''Freely  ye  have  received,  there- 
fore freely  give,"  is  the  great  law  of  life.  It  is  the  more 
blessed,  then,  to  give  as  the  grand  end  and  aim  of  all 
receiving.  This  is  seen  to  be  a  law  of  nature.  The  tree 
gets  from  the  earth  those  nourishing  substances  which  are 
by  and  by  changed  by  the  mysterious  chemistry  of  light 
and  heat  into  precious  fruits.  It  is  ready  to  pour  these 
into  the  husbandman's  lap  in  the  season  of  maturity. 
The  landscape  receives  the  bright  light  of  the  sun,  and  its 
rivers  and  trees  and  mountains  give  it  back  in  rich  and 
dazzling  colors.  Rivers  and  lakes  are  supplied  with 
waters  pouring  from  the  dark  clouds  of  the  heavens,  and 
then  give  them  forth  by  gushing  fountain,  or  roaring 
cataract  or  by  the  calmer  flow  of  the  level  plain,  to 
replenish  and  refresh  the  mighty  deep.  So  it  is  with  man. 
His  childhood  and  youth  are  periods  of  receiving  and  are 
preparatory  to  the  time  of  activity  and  labor.  He  has 
received  health  and  strength — his  mind  has  been  supplied 
with  stores  of  knowledge — his  heart  has  been  exercised 
with  faith  and  love,  and  now  in  entering  upon  manhood 
it  is  to  expend  what  he  has  obtained  upon  others.  It  is 
to  devote  himself  to  the  advancement  of  truth,  to  the 
service  of  God.  When  he  does  this  he  is  a  faithful 
servant.  But  when  we  see  a  young  man  upon  whom  so 
much  care  and  love  has  been  expended,  devoting  him- 
self to  idleness  and  sinful  pleasure,  why,  what  is  this 
but  an  abortion  of  life?     He  is  not  answering  the  true 


A    TELLING  PRINCIPLE.  iii 

end  of  life.  He  has  turned  the  blessedness  of  receiving 
into  degradation  of  his  being  and  does  not  occupy 
the  higher  platform  of  giving  for  which  his  gift  of  life, 
his  health,  his  training  were  all  a  preparation.  And 
so  too,  when  any  one  receives  help  in  the  time  of  distress, 
when  he  feels  the  value  of  a  friend  who  gives  him 
a  timely  helping  hand,  when  in  sickness  he  is  visited 
by  those  who  are  ready  to  aid  and  comfort  him,  if  he 
is  permanently  relieved  through  these  means  being 
blessed  of  God,  O  !  will  he  not  go  forth  to  comfort 
the  afflicted,  to  relieve  the  poor,  or  wait  upon  the 
sick  and  dying  with  all  needful  help  and  prayers  ?  Yes, 
brethren,  that  is  the  Christian's  law  of  life, — to  give  and 
to  give  freely,  because  he  has  received  and  received  freely. 
He  will  impart  help  because  he  has  received  help  ;  he  will 
forgive,  for  he  has  forgiven  ;  he  will  love,  because  he 
has  been  loved  ;  he  will  minister  in  return  for  the  minis- 
'trations  which  were  rendered  him.  It  is  more  blessed 
then  to  give,  because  to  receive  and  never  to  give  has  not 
the  promise  of  blessing  at  all,  and  it  is  less  blessed  to 
receive  than  to  give,  for  we  have  not  yet  reached  the  grand 
purpose  of  our  life — to  devote  ourselves  heart  and  soul  to 
the  good  of  others. 

III. — In  the  third  place,  we  observe  that  to  give  is 
Divine.  God  ever  gives  and  never  receives.  In  His  work 
of  creation  He  is  seen  to  be  the  Giver.  He  is  the  grand 
source — the  everlasting  fountain.  To  the  heavens  above 
He  has  given  the  starry  host.  To  these  countless  orbs 
suspended  in  space  He  has  given  the  light  with  which  they 


112  A   TELLING  PRINCIPLE. 

shine.  To  our  solar  or  planetary  system  He  has  rendered 
symmetry  and  order,  its  wondrous  motions  and  its  glorious 
beauty.  Upon  our  earth  He  hath  lavished  His  wondrous 
benefactions.  The  land  and  water,  the  air  and  light,  He 
has  made  secret  reservoirs  of  nourishing  substances  from 
which  flowers  and  herbs  and  trees  derive  beauty  and  pro- 
ductiveness. His  limitless  power  of  design  He  has  dis- 
played in  the  almost  infinite  variety  of  vegetable  and 
animal  forms.  To  the  stream  He  has  given  its  soft  mur- 
muring music — to  the  avalanche  and  cataract  their  sonor- 
ous roar — to  the  birds  their  variegated  plumage  and  gift 
of  song,  and  to  browsing  animals  quiet  waters  and  pastures 
green — to  beasts  of  prey  their  rapidmotion,  their  unflinch- 
ing boldness,  their  keenly  sensitive  organs.  All  these  He 
has  placed  under  the  dominion  of  man.  This  world,  with 
its  supplies  of  food  and  clothing,  with  its  laws  of  cohesion 
and  gravitation,  with  its  steam  and  electricity,  with  its  light 
and  heat,  is  His  vast  inexhaustible  donation  to  man. 
And  has  He  not  bestowed  upon  man  his  beautiful  and 
agile  form,  his  strength  of  limb  and  muscle,  his  senses  to 
enable  him  to  derive  pleasure  or  warning  from  the  world 
of  matter,  his  gift  of  song,  his  articulate  language,  above 
all  is  not  the  soul  of  man  God's  special  creation  ?  It  was 
in  the  likeness  of  God  man  was  made.  From  whence  has 
the  mind  its  power  of  thought,  of  reasoning,  of  imagination, 
of  memory,  of  affection  ?  And  can  God  receive  from  the 
starry  firmanent,  from  our  system  of  sun  and  planets,  from 
this  earth,  from  its  oceans  and  continents,  from  its  moun- 
tains and  valleys,  from  its   trees   and   animals   and   more 


A    TELLING  PRINCIPLE.  113 

than  all  from  man,  in  the  sense  in  which  He  has  given  ? 
No,  these  and  man  included  can  only  give  what  they 
received  and  nothing  more.  God  gives  what  He  has  never 
received.  It  is  the  Divine  prerogative  then  to  give.  It  is 
the  grandeur  of  God's  nature  to  give.  And  we,  brethren^ 
in  serving  our  day  and  generation,  in  giving  our  healthy 
our  strength,  our  very  life  to  our  children,  to  society  at 
large,  are  in  the  only  conceivable  way  approaching  the 
character  of  Him  who  is  the  author  of  every  good  and 
perfect  gift. 

That   to   give   is   Divine   is   exemplified   in   the  life  of 
Jesus  Christ.     The  Apostle  in  our  text  says,  "  Remember 
the  words  of   the   Lord  Jesus,    how    He   said.  It  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than   to   receive."     We  do    not  find  these 
very  words  recorded  by  any  of  the   Evangelists.     He  often 
gave  expression  to  similar  language.     But,  brethren,  action 
speaks  more  forcibly  than  words — a  life  is  better  than  a 
book,  better  than  a  thousand  sermons.     And  it  was  Christ's 
life  that  said,  *'  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive." 
When  did  the  Saviour  ever  receive  ?     Yes,  the  Angels  min- 
istered unto  Him.     His  mother  gave  Him  her   heart,    her 
fondest  love,  her  tender  solicitude.  A  forgiven  sister  washed 
his  feet  with  sacred  tears  and  wiped  them  with  the  hair  of 
her  head,  that  which   is   a   woman's   pride  and  glory.     A 
convicted  publican  took  Him  to  his   house.     Lazarus  and 
his  two  sisters  sheltered   Him   under   their   friendly   roof. 
A  few  women  stood  by  His  Cross.     That  is  about  all  which 
can  be  said  concerning  Christ  receiving.     It   was   blessed 
without   doubt   for    Him    to  receive   such   ministrations. 


114  A    TELLING  PRINCIPLE. 

But  O,  these  never  gave,  never  could  give  as  they  received 
from  Him.  Did  not  his  mother  drink  from  the  ever  flow- 
ing fountain  of  His  wisdom  and  love,  did  not  the  poor 
sinning  woman  receive  forgiveness  and  a  new  heart,  did 
not  the  disciples  enjoy  His  friendship.  His  protection,  His 
teaching  ?  Was  not  Zaccheus  made  a  new  man  by  his 
contact  with  the  Saviour  ?  Did  not  the  sisters  receive 
Lazarus  their  lost  brother  back  from  the  dead,  were  not 
the  faithful  women  at  the  cross  rewarded  with  the  last 
touching  expression  of  His  heavenly  countenance,  did  not 
John  get  the  most  tender  charge,  when  Jesus  said  from  the 
Cross,  '*  Behold  thy  mother,"  and  Mary  receive  a  son  in 
lieu  of  the  well  beloved  one  now  in  agony  ?  Yes,  Christ 
gave  more  than  He  ever  received.  And  what  shall  we  say 
of  the  gift  of  Himself  to  the  world  from  which  He  received 
nothing  but  cursing  and  railing  ?  He  gave  the  world  a 
life — grand  in  its  simplicity,  beautiful  in  its  devotion  to 
mankind,  lovely  in  its  spiritual  qualities.  He  gave  a  life 
inexhaustible  in  its  meaning,  a  life  more  suggestive  and 
sacred  than  the  most  original  poem.  It  was  a  life  of  con- 
stant giving.  It  was  a  center  from  which  emanated  rays 
of  virtue.  Wherever  He  went  His  footsteps  left  their 
mark.  And  there  is  a  vitality  in  that  life  which  has  not 
expended  itself  during  these  nineteen  centuries.  It  is 
reproducing  itself  every  day.  It  is,  if  possible,  a  more 
interesting  study  and  profounder  problem  to-day  than  it 
was  to  those  from  whose  sight  he  was  taken  up  into  the 
heavens.  To  that  life  the  world  owes  all  its  good,  its 
emancipation  from  spiritual  bondage,  its  knowledge  of  God, 


A   TELLING  PRINCIPLE.  115 

its  benevolent  institutions,  its  works  and  deeds  of  charity. 
Did  Christ  give  more  than  this  to  the  world  ?  Could  He 
give  more  ?  Yes,  He  gave  himself  a  ransom  for  sin.  In 
place  of  His  holy  life  He  substituted  a  righteous  death. 
He  completed  the  work  of  man's  deliverance  by  dying  a 
death  and  thus  shedding  precious  blood  which  involved 
pardon  to  the  sinner,  restoration  to  God's  favor,  the  en- 
joyment of  peace  and  endless  felicity  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  The  continual  utterance  of  Christ's  life  was,  **  It 
is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive."  If  these  words 
were  not,  as  they  well  might  have  been,  written  on  the 
Cross,  they  were  written  in  His  every  pain  and  groan,  they 
were  written  in  His  dying  agonies,  they  were  written  in 
His  last  utterances.  O  who  can  rightly  appreciate  that 
memorable  moment  in  Christ's  dying  struggle  when  He 
said,  ''It  is  finished,"  without  reading  it  in  the  light  of  the 
principle  of  our  text,  *  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to 
receive?" 

If  this  be  so,  that  Christ's  giving  himself  is  our  example — 
seeing  I  feel  sure  the  words  are  true,  "  It  is  more  blessed 
to  give  than  to  receive" — need  you  wonder  that  the  Church 
as  a  whole  is  earnest  and  solicitous  about  its  missionary 
work  and  that  you  are  called  to  give  what  you  can  afford 
for  the  cause?  Some  have  the  notion,  if  they  support  the 
particular  church  with  which  they  may  be  connected, 
they  are  doing  all  that  is  required  of  them.  On  the  con- 
tary  your  congregational  expenses  are  in  the  relation  to 
benevolence  and  missionary  enterprise,  what  the  expenses 
of  a  store  from  rent,  heating,  lighting,  service,  are   to  the 


Ii6  A    TELLING  PRINCIPLE. 

expenditure  required  for  the  manufacture  of  the  goods, 
their  delivery  throughout  the  country  and  world,  and  the 
enlargement  of  the  business.  In  other  words  one  does  not 
keep  open  store  merely  to  pay  necessary  expenses,  but  to 
make  money  to  be  spent  on  improvement  and  increase, 
and  upon  personal  and  family  purposes  and  to  lay  up 
some  capital  besides.  This  Church  is,  so  to  speak,  our 
store,  it  is  a  spiritual  mart,  and  is  not  instituted  barely 
to  carry  on  itself  and  then  fold  its  arms  and  say,  '*  how 
well  we  have  done."  If  it  is  not  sending  out  its  goods, 
its  gospel  of  salvation  to  bless  a  multitude  with  forgive- 
ness, and  impelling  forces  to  lead  in  new  directions,  and 
to  reduplicate  itself  by  building  churches,  disseminating 
the  Bible,  planting  schools  and  colleges  and  hospitals, 
creating  in  fact  new  colonies  of  Christians,  it  is  not  good 
for  anything  and  its  worship  without  being  a  workshop 
becomes  a  farce.  I  love  to  think  of  our  Home  and 
Foreign  mission  work  as  like  unto  the  Railway  system., 
beginning  with  a  few  miles  of  road,  and  spreading  and 
spreading  till  it  covered  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  and 
leaping  across  the  straits  to  Europe,  and  then  to  America, 
Australia,  Africa  even — to  all  the  Continents  and  Islands 
of  the  seas — and  not  only  so  but  carrying  its  millions  of 
passengers  and  enriching  every  land  and  city  with  the 
products  of  the  earth.  This  is  what  has  been  seen  with 
the  Church.  It  began  in  Jerusalem,  but  behold  !  how 
it  has  increased  and  spread  till  now  it  has  churches  and 
missionaries  and  schools  planted  throughout  the  world. 
We  question  whether  any  congregation  shutting  itself  tight 


A    TELLING  PRINCIPLE.  117 

against  the  call  to  spread  the  Gospel  throughout  the  world 
ever  reaches  the  point  of  paying  its  expenses.  Here  is 
our  commission  from  the  Saviour,  ''Go  into  all  the  world 
and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature."  Jesus  virtually 
says,  if  you  want  to  make  your  congregational  expenses 
appear  a  mere  trifle,  go  heartily  into  my  work.  Send  forth 
your  missionaries-your  church  travellers-your  Bibles,  your 
books.  Build  for  me  a  Sanctuary  in  every  needful  place. 
Multiply  agencies.  Be  full  of  ingenuity  for  the  spread  of 
my  good  news.  We  do  not  distinguish  between  Home 
and  Foreign  missions,  except  as  regards  languages,  and  the 
special  means  adapted  to  the  circumstances.  They  are  one 
work.  But  they  should  go  on  in  due  proportion.  I  can 
easily  see  what  to  give  to  each  by  studying  the  work  of  the 
Church  as  a  whole  to  which  I  belong.  Our  church  is 
aiming — say,  at  a  million  for  each  of  these — not  to  speak 
of  the  requirements  of  education,  ministerial  relief.  Sabbath 
school  work,  church  and  manse  erection,  the  evangelisation 
of  our  colored  people  and  other  forms  of  christian  work. 
Let  me  endeavor  to  give  even  above  the  measure  or 
standard — and  lo,  what  an  increase  to  the  missionary 
revenue  of  the  church!  But  strange  to  say,  I  find  myself 
no  loser.  My  own  resources  grow  in  endeavoring  to  lay 
out  for  my  Lord.  He  blesses  me.  He  increases  my 
basket  and  store.  Let  us  give  out  our  gospel  freely,  let 
us  send  ministers  with  unstinted  hand,  let  us  bestow 
unsparingly  upon  the  needs  of  others  at  home  and  abroad, 
and,  explain  it  as  you  will,  you  are  none  the  poorer,  but  are 
enriched  with  growing  means  for  more  and  more  enterprise, 


H8  A    TELLING  PRINCIPLE. 

while  your  heart  is  made  happy  in  view  not  only  of 
accomplished  results  but  of  taking  your  part  in  the  work 
which  honors  the  Lord  and  Master  and  in  laying  founda- 
tions for  still  greater  enterprise.  Let  us  give  as  the 
widow  gave  her  mites,  and  we  will  lay  ourselves  and  all 
that  we  have  at  the  feet  of  Jesus. 


PRAYER. 

O  God,  alone  art  Thou  Creator.  Thou  art  distinguished  from  angels, 
from  men,  in  this  that  no  other  can  create  a  single  particle  of  dust,  or 
one  ray  of  light.  Whilst  making  man  on  the  earth  partner  with  Thyself, 
he  cannot  make  out  of  nothing  a  drop  of  water  or  grain  of  gold.  Yet 
Thou  dost  give  thy  child  the  imitative  faculty,  so  as  to  ally  himself  with 
God  and  invent  and  produce  instruments,  engines,  vast  structures, 
factories  to  make  every  conceivable  article  for  common  use,  books  to 
discover  Thy  profound  secrets.  Thou  art  the  only  One  who  in  the 
creative  sense  of  the  words  canst  say,  "  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than 
to  receive."  Thus  too,  O  Lord,  is  it  with  the  Gospel  of  Salvation. 
Thou  art  the  Author.  All  that  we  can  do  is  to  make  it  known.  But 
oh  !  how  honored  and  blessed  are  we  in  being  permitted  to  sow  the 
precious  seed  which  our  Saviour  has  given.  Let  us  be  earnest  in  telling 
others  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  "  Freely  ye  have  received,  freely 
give,"    Amen. 


Blest  be  the  tie  that  blinds 
Our  hearts  in  Christian  love; 

The  fellowship  of  kindred  minds 
Is  like  to  that  above. 


TOO  MANY  CHURCHES. 
SERMON  VIII. 

Behold,  hoiv  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to 
dwell  together  in  unity ^ — psalm  cxxxiii.  i. 

Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also  which 
shall  believe  on  me  throtigh  their  word,  that  they 
all  may  be  one. — John  xvii:  20-21. 

Why  there  should  be  so  many  denominations  is  a  puzzle. 
The  essence  of  Christianity  is  love,  but  its  forces  are 
divided.  Even  those  who  call  themselves  by  the  same 
name  are  split  into  separate  organizations.  It  would  be 
hard  to  say  how  many  Presbyterian  sects  there  are  in  the 
world.  In  Scotland  alone  besides  many  smaller  bodies  of 
the  one  name,  there  are  the  three  great  churches. 
Established,  Free  and  United  Presbyterian.  On  my  word 
from  our  point  of  view  in  America  the  difference  between 
one  and  another  is  so  infinitesimal  as  to  require  a  large 
magnifying  microscope  to  see  it.  These  three  have  the 
same  confession,  catechism,  polity,  psalms  and  tunes,  and 
prayers  and  sermons  are  on  one  plan.  You  could  not  say 
you  were  worshipping  in  the  Free  or  United  Presbyterian 
church  as  against  the  Established  from  anything  occurring. 
We  would  defy  you  to  say  the  service  was  Free  Church 
because  of  the  form,  or  the  doctrine,  or  the  preaching. 


122  TO  MANY  CHURCHES. 

There  they  are  with  the  one  round  of  singing,  prayer  and 
sermon,  and  yet  in  many  parts  of  the  country  the  ministers 
are  scarcely  on  speaking  terms,  and  the  din  and  strife 
amongst  the  people  once  so  prevalent  have  hardly  passed 
away.  We  understand  why  Episcopalianism  may  keep 
aloof  from  Presbyterianism,  but  why  so  many  organizations 
having  one  name  and  in  the  same  country  should  do  so 
from  one  another,  it  is  difficult  to  explain.  Those 
nformed  know  that  the  first  is  the  State  Church,  having  en- 
dowments. Churches  and  Manses  outside  of  voluntary  effort; 
that  the  Free  represents  the  struggle  which  was  carried  on 
for  years  on  questions  of  State  interference  and  patronage; 
and  that  the  United  Presbyterian  is  apart  from  the  others 
as  accepting  only  the  voluntary  principle  of  support.  Why 
so  many  Presbyterian  bodies  should  be  found  in  Canada, 
in  the  United  States,  and  all  over  the  world,  is  a  problem 
indeed.  The  churches  in  Canada  were  from  the  start  free 
of  State  interference,  and  yet  in  spite  of  several  unions 
there  are  still  Church  of  Scotland  and  others  as  against  the 
great  Presbyterian  Church,  which  has  covered  the  land,  is 
most  progressive,  whose  missionary  enterprises  at  home 
and  abroad  are  wonderful.  But  look  to  our  own  Country 
at  this  moment,  and  besides  a  variety  as  pertaining  to  every 
denomination,  what  a  number  of  sects  we  have !  In 
addition  to  a  few  smaller  ones,  and  not  including  Roman 
Catholics,  there  are  these  large  bodies — Episcopalian,  Con- 
gregational, Baptist,  Reformed,  Methodist,  Presbyterian. 
Why  is  this  ?  We  have  this  condition  from  the  fact  of 
immigrants    coming    from    the    countries    where     these 


TO  MANY  CHURCHES.  123 

Churches  are  found  and  bringing  each  their  form  of 
polity  and  worship.  To  the  Scotch  and  Irish  we  owe 
Presbyterianism,  to  England  Episcopalianism  and  largely 
the  Congregational  and  Baptist  and  Methodist  bodies,  to 
Holland  the  Reformed  Church.  Excepting  in  external 
from  they  are  almost  identical  as  to  government,  doctrine, 
and  practice.  But  there  they  are  stubbornly  rooted  side 
by  side  on  our  soil.  We  are  to  ask,  applying  what  is  to 
be  said  to  our  own  land,  why  should  there  be  such  a  state 
of  things  ?  Is  it  healthy  to  have  it  so  ?  If  Christ's  prayer 
were  answered  in  full,  would  this  continue  ?  With  all 
these  orders  of  Churches,  do  we  begin  to  know  the  meaning 
of  the  words,  "Behold,  how  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is 
for  brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity  ? 

I.  In  the  first  place,  supposing  we  are  right  as  to  the 
true  meaning  of  these  words  and  say  that  the  grandest 
spectacle  on  earth  would  be  a  United  Christendom,  let  us 
ask  where  this  would  land  us? 

When  Christ  prayed  that  the  disciples  might  all  be  one^ 
He  either  meant  them  to  continue  as  a  single  organization, 
or  if  ever  divided  to  exhibit  brotherly  love,  and  thus  lead 
spectators  to  exclaim,  *'  Behold  !  these  brethren,  how  they 
loved  one  another."  We  can  hardly  think  the  Saviour  had 
other  before  His  mind  than  for  one  loving,  united  people 
to  be  His.  It  does  look,  not  only  at  first  and  second 
sight  too,  to  be  at  the  least  unfortunate  to  have  Christendom 
broken  into  fragments.  We  have  witnessed  the  benefits 
arising  from  the  union  of  various  branches  of  one  and 
the   same   demonination.     We   remember   Methodism   in 


124  TO  MANY  CHURCHES. 

Canada  was  divided  into  four  bodies.     It  was  felt  by  all 
that  these  should  be  one.     The  only  obstacle  to  this  was 
the  fact  that  one  was  Episcopal  in  its  polity.     It   was 
marvellous  how  quickly  the  difficulty  was  got  over.     They 
all  agreed  to  change  the  name  of  bishop  to  superintendent 
— superintendents      henceforth      overseeing     the     work. 
These  four  became  completely  one  in  no  time.      Can  any 
one  doubt  it  was  better  for  the  cause?     The  spirit  of  union 
had  been  in  the  air  for  a  long  time  previous.     In  1875  the 
Church  of  Scotland  and  the  already  powerful  Canadian 
Presbyterian  Church  had  become  one — there  being  no  need 
to  keep  up  in  a  Colony  the  microscopic  differences  that  were 
separating  the  Churches  in  Scotland.     Is  not  such  a  union 
far  better  adapted  to  the  work  of  the  Church  than  when 
we  are  broken  up  and  carrying  on  unhealthy  competition? 
What  a  grand  movement  was  that  which  culminated  in  the 
new  and  old  schools  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  becoming 
one!     There  was  no  difference  really  between  them  and 
their  marriage  was  a  happy  one,  as   seen  in  the  spread  of 
Presbyterians  throughout  the  United  States  and  the  work 
done  in  Missions.    Who  can  doubt  that  the  day  is  surely 
coming  when  the  Presbyterian  bodies  north  and  south,  the 
Cumberland    Presbyterian    Church,    the    Reformed    and 
United  Presbyterians  will  unite  into  one  vast  body?     They 
are   practically  one  in    doctrine,  polity  and  the  spirit   in 
which  they  do  the  work,  and  what  in  the  name  of  common 
sense  keeps  them  apart  ?     The  devil  must  have  some  hand 
in  it.     But  we  have  now  to  turn  to  the  union  of  Episco- 
palians and  the  other  religious  bodies.     Is  there  any  thing 


TO  MANY  CHURCHES,  125 

too  hard  in  this?  At  first  sight  the  former  looks  far 
removed  from  the  others — with  its  surplices  and  rubric 
and  altar  and  the  emphasis  put  upon  the  word  priest. 
The  High  Church  with  its  confessional  and  insistance* 
upon  so  much  rite  and  ceremony — turning  to  the  East  and 
all  the  rest — would  present  to  union  an  insurmountable 
difficulty  in  our  opinion.  But  boil  all  these  things  down^ 
and  we  see  there  is  only  one  point  of  difference  between 
Episcopals  and  the  rest.  That  is  the  matter  of  Bishops. 
While  rejoicing  in  liberty  to  pray  as  we  choose,  we  would 
not  object  to  prayers  being  in  part  read  by  the  minister. 
The.thirty-nine  articles  are  the  same  in  doctrine  with  our 
confession.  Christ  and  Him  crucified  is  the  recognized 
theme  in  both  branches.  There  is  no  longer  a  difference 
as  to  the  use  of  instruments,  and  look  the  matter  straight 
in  the  face,  the  only  point  between  us  is  that  of  Bishops. 
If  this  could  be  solved  by  these  bishops  becoming 
superintendents,  there  would  be  nothing  to  prevent 
union  to-morrow.  The  difference  between  the  Baptists 
and  the  rest  looks  to  be  serious.  The  one  holds  to 
immersion  of  adults  at  baptism,  and  in  this  country  ta 
inadmissibility  to  membership  without  immersion.  The 
rest  baptize  infants,  and  are  not  thus  ejcclusive  as  to 
admission  of  members.  Is  this  a  lasting  barrier  to  union 
between  Baptists  and  the  rest  ?  We  think  not.  When 
enjoying  a  holiday  in  London  in  1889,  Mr.  Spurgeon  in 
person  invited  us  to  his  Communion  and  to  take  part  in 
the  preparatory  service  without  raising  question  about  our 
immersion.     In  this  country,  however,  close  communion 


126  TO  MANY  CHURCHES, 

does  present  a  difficulty.  But  why  the  Baptists  should 
insist  upon  this  here,  and  in  England  they  should  not,  is 
beyond  our  comprehension,  unless  it  is  that  the  English 
Baptists  were  close  when  their  representatives  came  to  our 
shores,  and  that,  while  the  former  have  advanced,  the 
latter  have  kept  where  they  were.  There  is  only  the 
matter  of  immersion  of  adults  to  deal  with.  Whether  that 
could  be  got  over  we  cannot  say.  This  we  know  that 
certain  Baptist  clergymen  go  through  a  form  of  blessing 
little  children  when  dying  as  a  comfort  to  parents.  There 
could  be  no  hindrance  to  union  if  the  immersionists  were 
left  alone  to  do  as  they  like,  and  would  permit  the  rest  to 
baptize  children  according  to  custom.  As  to  Congrega- 
tionalists.  Reformed,  Methodists,  Presbyterians,  there  are 
but  mere  shadows  between  them.  Go  in  blindfold  to 
worship  with  these  in  succession  and  you  could  not  tell 
the  one  from  the  other.  The  day  for  their  union  cannot 
be  long  postponed  in  presence  of  the  manifest  growth 
towards  each  other  in  polity,  and  the  frequency  with 
which  pastors  are  called  from  one  to  another.  In  concluding 
the  point  before  us  we  say,  God  speed  the  cause  of 
union.  May  we  have  as  much  of  it  as  possible.  "  Let 
brotherly  love  continue."  May  all  differences  be  looked 
at  in  their  true  light.  We  pray  these  may  disappear,  and  we 
feel  the  millennium  shall  have  set  in,  when  all  our  denomi- 
nations will  see  eye  to  eye,  and  become  one  vast  Church 
to  represent  Christ  on  earth,  and  that  in  their  union  we 
shall  have  a  glorious  exemplification  of  the  words, 
^'Behold,  how  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to 
dwell  together  in  unity." 


TO  MANY  CHURCHES.  127 

II.  We  have  to  consider,  in  the  second  place,  the 
disastrous  tendency  of  the  sectarian  spirit.  Whatever  may 
be  said  about  denominations  which  differ  in  polity  building 
and  carrying  on  work  with  others  in  the  same  place,  we 
feel  it  to  be  a  mistake  unduly  to  multiply  congregations 
of  the  same  name.  We  know  a  large  number  of  towns  in 
which  too  many  Churches  have  been  built,  but  let  me  refer 
to  one  prominent  example  with  which  we  are  all  familiar. 
In  the  place  referred  to  there  are  four  Methodist  Churches, 
which  could  be  made  two.  There-  are  two  or  three 
Presbyterian  Churches  doing  work  that  one  could  perform. 
There  are  several  Baptist  organizations  where  one  would 
suffice.  Supposing  Baptists  and  Presbyterians  would  join, 
and  Episcopalians  and  Methodists  do  the  same,  and  the 
Congregational  and  Reformed  Churches  follow  suit,  all 
the  better  for  Christianity. 

But  at  all  events  why  not  the  Christians  of  the  same 
denomination  become  one?  What  would  be  the  immediate 
effects  ?  There  would  be  a  large  and  powerful  congrega- 
tion, worthy  of  the  place.  There  could  be  a  pastor  and 
evangelist  set  over  the  same  Church — one  to  do  preaching 
and  the  other  parochial  work.  The  running  expenses 
would  be  so  reduced  as  to  set  free  large  sums  for  the  proper 
equipment  of  the  individual  Church  and  to  carry  on 
missionary  enterprise  at  home  and  abroad.  There  would 
not  be  a  continual  depression  upon  the  heart  of  the  pastor 
at  losses  of  well-to-do  parishioners  through  no  fault  of  his, 
but  because  of  removals  elsewhere  and  deaths,  and  at  the 
non-protestant  character  of  the  incoming  people,  for  there 


128  TO  MANY  CHURCHES. 

would  always  be  sufficient  to  make  one  good  Church. 
Remember  we  are  speaking  of  down-town  Churches.  It 
would  no  longer  be  said,  "  How  the  cause  of  Christ  is 
going  down."  For  instead  of  homoeopathic  doses  of  religion 
in  a  variety  of  buildings  and  localities  we  would  have 
concentration,  gathering  around  a  point,  the  union  of 
forces  otherwise  scattered.  To  what  would  this  lead  ?" 
Well,  properties  rendered  useless  could  be  turned  into- 
endowments.  The  money  saved  from  supporting  buildings 
not  required,  from  having  too  many  pastors,  from  overflow 
of  agencies,  would  be  enormous,  and  could  be  spent  in 
proper  salaries,  in  reading  rooms,  in  missionary  work. 

For  our  part  we  have  to  rejoice  in  the  splendid  work 
done  by  Sunday  Schools,  Christian  Endeavorers,  Epworth 
League,  Women's  Temperance  and  Missionary  Societies. 
We  have  to  think  of  all  these  as  being  in  answer  to 
Messiah's  prayer — "  that  they  all  may  be  one.  "  The 
International  Series  of  lessons  has  accomplished  much  in 
the  line  of  union.  We  now  see  the  teachers  of  a  town  or 
section  of  a  city  gathered  together  weekly  for  the  study 
of  the  passage  to  be  taught  the  following  Sunday.  Look 
at  Sabbath  School  Conventions  in  our  day,  what  a 
marvellous  outgrowth  of  brotherly  love !  Missionary 
enterprise  has  brought  the  women  of  our  Churches 
wonderfully  together.  The  results  are  beyond  calculation. 
But  our  point  is,  what  a  loVely  sight  woman  when  thus 
consecrated!  Is  she  not  in  her  corporate  capacity  the 
mother  of  orphans,  of  the  poor,  of  the  suffering,  of  the 
ignorant  ?    She  has  a  perfect  genius  for  benevolence.     She 


TO  MANY  CHURCHES.  129 

is  at  her  best  when  stooping  to  be  merciful.  We  owe  to 
her  a  living  exemplification  of  our  words,  "  Behold,  how 
good  and  how  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell  together 
in  unity."  Compared  with  miserable  gossip  to  which  idle 
mouths  are  accustomed,  contrasted  with  mere  talk  about 
dress  to  which  thoughtless  ones  are  prone,  put  side  by  side 
with  pleasure  after  which  so  many  are  flying  with 
unquenchable  thirst,  think  of  the  noble  occupation,  of  the 
high  purpose,  of  the  good  example  of  our  sisters  when 
giving  themselves  to  the  work  of  extending  the  Lord's 
Kingdom  in  any  form.  How  much  again  do  owe  to  the 
Christian  Endeavor  movement  ?  That  thought  of  Dr. 
Clarke  passed  like  a  lightning  flash  around  the  world,  and 
now  what  a  result  !  If  carried  out  consistently  it  must 
revolutionize  the  world,  for  it  is  securing  the  young  for 
Christ;  it  is  joining  them  in  one  for  the  study  of  Scripture; 
it  is  engaging  them  in  works  of  mercy  in  behalf  of  the 
poor,  the  ignorant,  the  dying;  it  is  firing  their  hearts  with 
the  missionary  spirit.  What  may  be  the  outcome  of  this 
in  twenty  years?  It  is  our  prayer  to  revolutionize  the 
world  in  that  time.  The  Christian  Endeavor  movement 
was  the  one  thing  of  which  we  could  think  as  purely 
unsectarian — uniting  us  all  in  one.  And  so  we  are  not 
sure  about  the  wisdom  of  establishing  the  Epworth  League. 
That  is  to  separate  one  branch  of  the  Church  from  the 
rest.  It  puts  a  hedge  around  the  Methodists.  It  excludes, 
and  that  is  not  the  thing  we  are  after  in  these  days.  It 
may  be  all  right,  but  we  do  not  think  it  is.  And  we  can 
only  imagine   a  real  benefit  coming  from  it  in  the  future 


I30  TO  MANY  CHURCHES. 

when  such  will  be  the  spirit  on  the  part  of  all  Churches 
toward  union  as  lo  lead  to  the  Christian  Endeavor  and 
Epworth  League  becoming  one — as  they  really  are  so 
now.  There  is  no  essential  difference  in  the  thing 
recently  set  up.  Why  should  it  be  is  the  question 
troubling  us  in  the  presence  of  Christ's  prayer,  "  that  they 
all  may  be  one?" 

We  do  not  want  to  see  the  Church  becoming  political. 
There  would  be  only  evil  in  that.  It  would  lead  to  parties, 
contests  over  Candidates,  divisions.  But  we  believe  in 
Christian  union — if  not  in  the  corporate  capacity,  yet  in 
accordance  with  the  Gospel  that  Christians  should  love 
one  another.  Because  then  we  shall  have  strength  from 
union  successfully  to  fight  our  foes.  There  are  the  two 
questions  before  us — How  to  preserve  the  Christian 
Sabbath,  and  how  to  repress  the  rum  traffic  in  general  but 
especially  as  this  encroaches  upon  our  Rest  Day.  The 
people  in  their  mad  folly  after  pleasure  on  the  Lord's  Day 
do  not  see  it  now,  but  they  will  be  made  to  feel  it  by  and 
by,  that  there  is  no  greater  insanity  than  that  of  throwing 
away  the  one  day  upon  mere  indulgence,  for  it  comes  to 
that — this  awful  violation  of  God's  command,  * 'Remember 
the  Sabbath  day,"  and  what  a  curse  upon  our  land  not 
only  the  saloon  every  day,  but  open  on  the  Lord's  day,  and 
running  a  business  that  wastes  the  wages  of  the  working 
man  and  brings  misery  and  famine  into  many  a  home.  It 
is  in  union  that  we  will  see  what  we  are  to  do  in  the 
premises.  It  is  from  genuine  sympathy  we  shall  ever  be 
able  to  deal  with  the  open  saloon  on  the  Sabbath.     And  so 


TO  MANY  CHURCHES.  131 

with  other  great  public  questions  affecting  'our  welfare. 
Let  us  be  one  in  the  work.  Let  our  Churches  be  united 
in  the  bonds  of  holy  love,  and  with  the  common  prayer  for 
wisdom  and  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  we  may  yet 
•see  the  day  when  the  cause  of  Christ  shall  triumph,  and 
•hold  the  reins,  and  secure  the  world's  good  in  every 
possible  aspect. 


Note — This  sermon  on   "Too  Many  Churches''  it  will  be  seen  is 
addressed  "  To  Many  Churches." 


FEAR  NOT" 
By  Maggie  J.  Mitchell.  1886. 

Through  all  the  changing  scenes  of  life, 

There  is  one  happy  thought, 
That  He,  who  answers  every  prayer, 

Says  to  us  all,  "  fear  not." 

Whene'er  in  sorrow,  toil,  or  pain, 

We  should  not  be  distressed, 
For,  He  who  rules  in  Heaven  above. 

Is  our  eternal  rest. 

If  e'er  temptations  come  to  thee, 

"  Fear  not,"  for  He  is  nigh; 
And  waits  to  hear  and  answer  prayer, 

Addressed  to  Him  on  high. 

"  Fear  not,  "  when  death  comes  to  thy  door, 

'Tis  God  who  says  be  bold. 
For  thou  hast  done  thy  work  on  earth, 

I  take  thee  to  my  fold. 

And,  oh  !  how  happy  it  will  be, 

When  all  His  lambs  go  home, 
And  sing  His  everlasting  praise 

Beneath  Heaven's  vaulted  dome. 


THE  VALUE  OF  TEARS. 
SERMON  IX. 

And  they  all  wept  sore,  and  fell  on  Paul' s  neck,  and  kissed 
him. — ACTS  XX.  37. 

Is  it  manly  to  shed  tears  ?  Is  it  becoming  one  priding 
himself  on  a  courageous  and  daring  spirit?  Would  you 
encourage  weeping  in  your  boy  ?  Somehow  we  have 
grown  to  think  that  crying  is  a  womanish  business.  We 
are  not  surprised  at  the  rain  as  it  pours  from  a  girl's 
eyes.  While  we  would  not  encourage  tears  at  the 
slightest  cause,  is  it  disparaging  to  a  woman  to  say  she 
is  easily  made  weep  ?  If  she  is  readily  moved  in  this 
way,  what  does  it  show?  Let  it  be  said  that  here  we 
have  a  prime  difference  between  the  sexes,  can  you 
truly  say  that  our  sisters  are  on  that  account  inferior  to 
men  ?  Would  it  not  prove  a  difference  of  nature  ?  Yes, 
we  think  the  woman  is  superior  in  her  very  tenderness, 
that  she  is  angelic  because  of  the  sweetness  of  her  dis- 
position. And  after  all  I  feel  not  sure  but  that  a  man  is 
most  manly  when  like  his  mother  or  wife  or  sister  the 
dew  drops  on  occasion  stand  glistening  in  his  eyes. 

This  depends.  It  depends  on  the  man  himself — of 
what  sort  of  stuff  he  is  made.     On  first  consideration 


134 


THE   VALUE  OF  TEARS. 


you  would  not  look  for  a  man  like  Paul  actually  weep- 
ing almost  in  any  circumstances.  Well,  why  do  we- 
think  this  of  Paul  ?  It  is  because  we  imagine  him  to  be 
a  person  of  a  different  temperament.  The  more  we 
read  of  his  writings  and  sayings  we  fancy  before  us  one 
of  strong  reasoning  faculties  rather  than  of  a  suscepti- 
ble nature.  Follow  him  in  his  course,  there  is  he  of 
mighty  mind  always  before  you.  There  are  scenes  in 
which  Paul  comes  out  just  as  we  would  expect.  He  can 
denounce  in  no  measured  terms  when  some  wicked  fox 
or  mean  liar  is  before  him.  ''His  spirit  was  stirred  in 
him  when  he  saw  the  city  (of  Athens)  wholly  given  ta 
idolatry."  In  the  midst  of  the  storm,  which  swept  over 
the  island  of  Mylete,  he  remains  calm.  He  fortells 
what  will  certainly  befall  the  men,  if  persisting  in 
leaving  the  boat.  Paul  seems  strikingly  at  home  stand- 
ing at  the  bar  before  Felix  and  Agrippa.  He  knows 
not  fear  nor  what  it  means.  He  looks  more  like  the 
judge  than  anything  else  as  he  reasons  of  temperance 
and  righteousness  and  judgement  to  come.  What  a 
noble  attitude  we  find  him  in  when  writing  Timothy 
from  his  prison  cell  in  Rome.  He  does  not  utter  mere 
sentiment.  He  does  not  appeal  to  the  pity  of  anyone. 
He  is  like  a  rock  in  mid-ocean-stern,  rugged,  unimpress- 
ible,  when  the  tempest  is  urging  the  waves  in  fury  upon 
him.  One  would  almost  think  he  courts  imprisonment. 
He  fears  not  death  certainly,  though  it  has  to  come  in 
the  worst  form.  It  is  not  merely  the  consciousness  of 
being  innocent,  but  there  is  the  brave  spirit  within  his 


THE   VALUE  OF  TEARS.  135 

breast.  It  shudders  not  at  the  executioner's  boast  of  being 
commissioned  to  take  his  life.  And  then  let  me  turn  to  the 
imperishable  writings  which  this  man  has  left  behind  him. 
They  are  the  strong  utterances  of  a  man  dead  in  earn- 
est. Such  a  one  cannot  weep  as  a  rule.  There  are 
oftener  seen  on  such  the  smile  of  the  hero,  the  daring  of 
the  warrior,  the  intense  gaze  of  one  who  has  set  his 
heart  on  victory.  Such  and  more  was  Paul  and  we  are 
surprised,  therefore,  to  find  him  classed  with  those  who 
wept.  Methinks  it  makes  these  drops  precious  indeed 
falling  from  such  a  face. 

But  we  do  not  wonder  at  the  scene  here  described 
when  we  look  into  the  words  immediately  preceding. 

That  giants  can  weep  is  evident  when  we  read  that, 
''Joseph  fell  upon  his  father's  neck  and  wept  on  his  neck 
a  good  while."  Gen.  46.29.  How  impressive  is  the 
parting  scene  between  Jonathan  and  David  !  Forced  to 
separate  for  the  time  they  warmly  embrace,  and  there 
seems  to  be  contention  as  to  which  will  shed  tears  the 
most  until  it  is  said  that  David  exceeded.  There  you 
have  two  mighty  men  in  agony  at  the  thought  of  leaving 
each  other.  There  are  no  two  words  forming  a  more 
deep  and  suggestive  sentence  than  these,  ''Jesus  wept." 
They  occur  in  the  narrative  of  Christ  raising  Lazarus. 
Why  weep  is  a  question  forced  upon  us  as  we  read,  for 
there  appeared  rather  to  be  every  reason  to  rejoice. 
Would  not  the  thought  of  conquering  the  grave  and 
death,  and  restoring  a  beloved  brother  to  his  sister's 
fond  arms,  rather  give  rise  to  triumphant  expectation* 


136  THE   VALUE  OF  TEARS. 

than  to  deepest  grief?  Oh  !  if  our  thoughts  run  in  this 
line,  how  little  do  we  know  the  tender,  sensitive  heart 
of  the  Saviour!  For  did  He  not  weep  because  of  the 
spectacle  before  him  of  the  unbelieving  multitude  ?  It 
was  because  of  the  reign  of  iniquity  in  human  hearts 
that  he  was  indeed  *'a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted 
with  grief. "  We  witness  this  feeling  welling  from  his 
breast  when  He  cries,  **0  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  thou 
that  killest  the  prophets  and  stonest  them  which  are 
sent  unto  thee,  how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy 
children  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under  her 
wings,  and  ye  would  not?"  It  is  the  wicked  opposition  of 
men  to  what  will  do  them  the  most  good,  that  opens  the 
fountain  of  the  Saviour's  heart.  No  wonder  his  was  a  life 
of  grief.  There  might  be  indignation  at  times,  aye  and 
wrath,  such  as  is  becoming  the  divine  nature  in  view  of  law 
and  right  trampled  under  foot  by  wicked  men.  But  on 
the  whole,  sorrow  pressed  him  down,  for  there  was  ever 
present  to  his  mind  the  view  of  what  the  world  might 
have  been  had  not  men  dared  to  oppose  their  God  and 
of  what  the  world  had  become  through  dire  opposition 
to  the  truth.  There  was  the  moral  waste.  There  was 
the  blight  upon  earth's  fair  fields.  The  multitude  were 
lying  in  wretched  despair  because  of  guilt  and  sin. 
Satan  rather  than  God  seemed  supreme,  if  one  would 
judge  from  the  abject  subserviency  to  his  will  shown  by 
the  vast  majority  of  men.  And  if  the  same  spirit  that 
was  in  Christ  be  in  us,  we  too  will  be  in  a  sweat  of  an- 
guish at  sight  of  our  fair  earth  under  the  ban  of  Satan, 


THE   VALUE  OF  TEARS.  I37 

and  of  the  crimes  and  degradation  everywhere  preva- 
lent. Need  we  wonder  that  Martin  Luther  was  moved 
to  compassion  at  sight  of  the  ecclesiastical  thraldom 
in  which  the  people  were  held?  Should  we  be  aston- 
ished to  be  told  that  John  Knox,  while  indignant  at  the 
oppression  by  queen  and  priests,  was  melted  into  ten- 
derest  grief  in  view  of  the  condition  of  the  people  ;  or 
that  the  tender  heart  of  Hamilton,  as  he  stood  firm  amid 
the  fires  of  martyrdom,  was  deeply  affected  with  the 
spectacle  of  his  country's  slavery  ;  or  that  Wilberforce, 
while  spurred  to  greatest  activity  at  the  thought  of  the  for- 
lorn slave,  felt  the  tenderest  sympathy  on  his  behalf?  Are 
we  surprised  when  we  behold  the  suffering  experienced  by 
Howard  in  presence  of  prisoners  in  agonizing  tortures 
and  condemned  to  dark  and  filthy  cells  ;  or  to  behold 
Abraham  Lincoln  through  his  bleeding  heart  realizing 
the  duty  of  the  hour — to  give  freedom  to  the  slave  ;  or 
to  witness  the  brave  Kossuth  roused  to  energy  and  en- 
terprise because  of  his  sympathy  with  the  oppressed  ? 
It  brings  the  Christ  to  a  level  with  ourselves  that  we 
find  him  bathed  in  sorrow,  and  it  lifts  us  somewhat  to 
his  standard  that  like  him,  realizing  the  sin  and  misery 
which  everywhere  abound,  our  hearts  are  stricken  with 
keenest  pain.  You  cannot  help  feeling  that  the  brethren 
of  Miletus  ''wept  sore,  "  because  they  were  parting  from  a 
brother  so  well  beloved  as  Paul.  Just  bring  to  mind  the 
scene.  It  was  not  in  some  consecrated  building  the 
apostle  uttered  the  beautiful  discourse  here  recorded. 
But  it  was  by  the  seashore  where  he  was  about  to  step  on 


138  THE  VALUE  OF  TEARS. 

board  the  crude  vessel  waiting  to  carry  him  to  his  owix 
country.  For  our  Lord  and  these  earnest  disciples  were 
ready  to  preach  at  any  moment  and  in  everyplace.  They 
did  not  linger  ere  pouring  out  their  loving  message  until 
they  would  be  arrayed  in  priestly  garb  and  be  surrounded 
with  the  insignia  of  office.  They  were  on  fire — anxious  to 
draw  their  net  and  catch  men.  From  the  discourse  re- 
ported in  this  chapter,  which  is  evidently  but  a  bare 
outline  of  what  was  said,  one  can  readily  imagine  the  im- 
pressive speaker  Paul  was,  though  he  himself  exclaims  that 
men  counted  his  bodily  presence  weak  and  his  speech 
contemptible.  But  we  suppose  he  thus  speaks  of  himself 
as  truly  great  men  are  apt  to  disparage  their  own  talents 
and  exertions.  But  here  is  a  powerful  presentation  of  the 
Gospel  concluding  with  the  eternal  principle,  ''Remember 
the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus  how  he  said.  It  is  more  blessed 
to  give  than  to  receive.  "  Think  of  Paul,  as  he  spoke, 
'*  weeping"  as  he  says  of  himself  on  another  occasion. 
It  is  not  the  sermon  of  a  preacher  addressing  the  uncon-^ 
verted  and  seeking  to  arouse  in  men  the  great  question, 
"What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?"  But  it  is  the  instruction, 
needed  by  the  elders  of  the  already  formed  Church  at 
Miletus.  It  is  a  most  valuable  message  to  the  Church  m 
all  ages.  With  what  earnestness  does  he  declare  himself 
free  of  the  blood  of  every  man  !  With  what  intensity  does- 
he  enjoin  them  **  to  feed  the  church  of  God  which  he  hath 
purchased  with  his  own  blood !  "  To  what  an  eloquent 
height  does  he  rise,  when  knowing  they  are  not  to  see  one 
another's  face  again,  he  commends  them  "to  God  and  to 


THE   VALUE  OF  TEARS,  139. 

the  word  of  his  grace!"  Try  to  think  of  Paul,  while 
speaking,  with  what  fatherly  tenderness  he  addressed 
them  !  All  the  love  that  was  in  him  shone  from  his 
countenance.  The  rugged  features  were  lit  with  a 
heavenly  radiance.  And  these  men  felt  they  were  parting- 
with  their  father  in  Christ.  The  thought  rushes  upon  them,, 
"they  will  never  see  his  face  again."  He  is  going  forth  to 
unknown  trials  and  dangers.  They  felt  sure  of  his 
martyrdom,  for  a  man  with  such  fervid  words  at  a  time 
like  that  could  not  be  tolerated.  No  wonder  they  fell  on 
his  neck  and  kissed  him.  The  scene  was  worthy  of  men- 
of  faith  like  these.  It  was  indeed  honor  done  to  a  man  of 
noble  bearing  like  Paul.  The  departure  of  the  Apostle 
from  them  could  never  be  forgotten.  It  was  indelibly 
written  on  their  hearts  that,  next  to  God  himself,  they  were 
indebted  to  their  friend  now  leaving  them  for  the  last 
time,  for  their  high  standing  in  the  household  of  faith,  and 
the  bright  prospects  beyond  this  life  that  were  before 
them.  As  the  ship  sailed  away  behold  these  men  standing 
on  the  shore  waving  a  fond  farewell  ere  they  set  their  feet 
to  accomplish  their  return  journey.  And  think  of  Paul 
returning  their  salute  in  token  of  the  blessing  he  was- 
leaving  for  them  !     It  is  indeed  a  touching  scene. 

Such  a  spectacle  can  hardly  be  witnessed  in  our  times^ 
For  the  continents  are  bridged  by  mighty  steamships,  and 
the  nations  are  brought  together  by  means  of  railroads, 
telegraphs,  and  superior  postal  service.  Yet  were  you- 
bidding  good  bye  to  your  son  or  daughter  called  to 
service  in  a  foreign  country,  and  leaving  you  it  may  be  for 


140  THE  VALUE  OF  TEARS. 

a  long  term  of  years,  you  could  hardly  help  taking  account 
of  death — either  your  own  or  your  child's  coming  between 
you  and  the  realization  of  your  hope  of  meeting  again. 
We  can  not  think  of  one  being  so  placed  without  being 
intensely  moved.  What  must  it  be  to  bid  good  bye  to 
your  son  obeying  the  mandate  of  his  country  to  go  forth 
to  war  in  defence  of  her  liberty  ?  One  can  sympathize 
with  the  well  of  grief  opened  up  at  sight  of  the  missionary 
leaving  father  and  mother,  sisters,  brothers  and  friends 
to  carry  the  message  of  salvation  to  the  savages  of  Africa 
or  the  islands  of  the  Pacific.  Yet  such  scenes  have  been 
often  witnessed.  For  what  a  proud  page  is  that  of 
history  which  tells  of  the  self-sacrificing  devotion  of  the 
noble  band  who  have  planted  the  cross  in  heathen  lands 
and  laid  deep  and  wide  the  foundations  of  Christian 
•civilization.  We  are  told  of  Dr.  Geddes  of  Nova  Scotia, 
who  after  twenty  years  of  pastoral  service  in  his  own 
•country,  felt  the  call  of  God  to  go  to  the  Pacific  Islands 
so  strongly  that  he  had  to  tear  himself  from  his  beloved 
flock.  These  fell  on  his  neck  and  kissed  him  as  they 
were  forced  to  let  him  go.  What  a  proud  thing  they  had 
to  say  of  him  after  another  twenty  years  that  when  he 
went  to  his  island  field  there  was  not  a  single  Christian 
and  when  he  died  there  was  not  one  savage  !  Imagine 
what  it  was  for  this  very  Dr.  Paton,  who  has  been 
electrifying  Britain  with  his  thrilling  description  of  the 
cruel  death  of  his  beloved  wife  in  these  very  islands,  and 
of  the  superhuman  deliverances  from  wreck  and  massacre 
which  he  experienced — try  to  conceive  what  it  must  have 


THE   VALUE  OF  TEARS.  141 

been  to  leave  his  native  city  of  Glasgow  where  he  was 
honored  and  loved  as  a  home  missionary.  Think  of  the 
great  Dr.  Duff  leaving  Scotland  at  a  time  when  to  go  to 
a  foreign  country  as  a  missionary  seemed  to  be  worse 
than  a  cruel  death — think  what  it  must  have  been  to  tear 
himself  from  beloved  friends,  and  above  all  from  his 
native  Scotland,  which  would  have  taken  pride  ia 
doing  honor  to  her  eloquent  son.  See  him  ship-wrecked 
on  the  way — his  library,  all  but  a  Bible  which  was  tossed 
to  his  feet  by  a  friendly  wave,  swallowed  up  by  the  angry 
ocean — himself  diverted  from  Africa  to  India  in  conse- 
quence. But  he  was  spared  to  come  back  and  thrill  all 
Scotland  with  his  fervid  descriptions  of  heathen  darkness 
and  the  need  of  gosepl  light.  Just  put  yourselves  in  the 
place  of  David  Livingstone,  leaving  his  native  Blantrye, 
discouraged  from  his  task  by  parents  and  friends,  bathed 
in  tears  as  he  bade  them  farewell.  Think  of  his  laborious 
career,  of  wasted  physical  life,  dying  in  a  jungle.  But 
was  it  not  worth  all  the  agony  of  parting  to  have  such  a 
son  of  Scotland  now  a  household  name,  and  his  body 
borne  with  reverent  touch  by  his  own  converts  to  the 
shore  of  Africa  to  be  carried  to  England  and  at  the 
command  of  the  noble  Sovereign  to  be  laid  reverently 
away  in  Westminster  Abbey?  The  story  of  Missions  is 
one  which  takes  thousands  of  volumes  to  narrate.  But 
who  knows  the  inward  grief — the  strong  crying — the 
broken  hearts — caused  at  the  parting  of  these  noble  men 
and  women  from  their  beloved  ones  at  home? 


142  THE   VALUE  OF  TEARS. 

But  you  know,  my  dear  friends,  there  are  tears  of  joy  as 
•well  as  sorrow.  It  seems  from  the  lofty  tone  of  the  narrative 
that  the  grief  felt  by  Paul  and  his  friends  was  caused  at  the 
thought  of  never  again  in  this  world  seeing  each  other's 
face.  But  there  was  triumph  in  the  gospel  of  Christ, 
that  it  would  win  its  way  by  their  or  other  human 
instrumentality.  These  elders  might  feel  there  was  a 
cruel  fate  before  their  beloved  friend.  But  they  willingly 
gave  him  to  his  work,  knowing  that  the  salvation  of 
multitudes  was  involved  in  such  an  outlay.  And  Paul's 
tears  glistened  with  the  light  of  triumphant  joy  as  he 
gave  them  his  blessing  with  which  to  return  to  their 
labor.  It  seems  to  me  that  were  I  called  to  give  a  child 
to  the  cause  of  God  abroad,  that  the  dew  drops  from  my 
^eyes  would  sparkle  with  joy  in  the  very  act  of  thus 
dedicating  my  child  to  God.  We  might  part  with  the 
conviction  of  never  seeing  one  another  again,  but  would 
not  my  grief  be  assuaged  by  the  thought  of  our  meeting 
in  Heaven  and  there  learning  in  all  its  details  the  story 
of  consecrated  love  ?  Yes,  had  one  of  you  the  prospect 
of  losing  your  child  for  such  a  cause,  I  would  counsel 
you  to  let  your  tears  be  those  of  joy.  What  honor  would 
be  done  you !  What  a  sacrifice  to  be  sure,  but  think  of 
the  gain  !  ! 

Yes,  let  us  remember  that  God  will  at  last  wipe  all 
tears  from  our  eyes  in  Heaven.  There  will  be  no  more 
sorrow  nor  crying,  when  at  length  we  come  to  die.  No 
•doubt  there  will  be  anguish  in  the  thought  of  departing,  or 
of  the  loss"  those  who  are  left  will  sustain.     But  if  the  friend 


THE    VALUE  OF  TEARS.  143 

we  are  losing  be  one  with  his  heart  set  on  Jesus  and 
lieaven,  and  if  we  ourselves  are  firmly  built  upon  the 
Rock  our  sense  of  bereavement  will  soon  become  a 
blessed  inheritance  of  expectation.  God  will  put  our  tears 
in  his  bottle — to  preserve  them  as  a  blessed  memorial  of 
iidelity  to  truth.  And  while  there  will  be  no  such  thing 
as  sorrow  in  heaven  it  seems  to  me  that  our  tears  shed  on 
■earth  on  worthy  objects  will  be  a  blessed  memory 
throughout  the  ages. 

The  only  awful  thought  which  comes  into  one's  mind  in 
dealing  with  this  subject  is  the  tearless  anguish  of  a  lost 
soul.  Conceive  of  one  who  cannot  repent,  or  rather  whose 
repentance  can  never  signify  penitence,  whose  hatred  can 
never  be  turned  into  love,  whose  memory  of  deeds  of 
darkness  will  become  more  intensified,  what  would  not 
one  give  for  sorrow  to  soften  the  hardened  heart  ?  Think 
of  the  cry  of  the  rich  man  in  hell  when  he  said,  **  Father 
Abraham,  have  mercy  on  me,  and  send  Lazarus,  that  he 
may  dip  the  tip  of  his  finger  in  water,  and  cool  my 
tongue,  for  I  am  tormented  in  this  flame.  "  Oh  no 
— I  believe  that  the  worst  feature  of  that  terrible  fate, 
which  awaits  the  wicked  in  another  world,  is  that  there  is 
no  place  for  tears. 


"  God  bless  these  hands  united. 

God  bless  these  hearts  made  one; 
Unsevered  and  unblighted 

May  they  through  life  go  on  : 
Here  in  earth's  home  preparing 

For  mansions  bright, 
And  there,  for  ever  sharing 

Its  joy,  where  '  God  is  love  '  " 


J 


MARRIAGE. 
SERMON  X. 

Therefore  shall  a  7nan  leave  his  father  and  fuother,  and 
shall  cleave  tinto  his  wife ;  and    they   shall  be   one 
flesh. — Gen.  ii.  24. 
Marriage  is  honorable  in  all. — Heb.  xiii.  4. 

Marriage  is  one  thing  in  which  men  and  women  will 
never  cease  taking  the  deepest  interest.  It  is  next  to  the 
mountains  and  oceans  and  rivers  in  respect  of  antiquity. 
It  takes  us  back  to  the  very  week  following  that  of  crea- 
tion. We  have  in  the  formation  of  man  from  the  dust  of 
the  ground  and  of  woman  from  his  side  a  well  defined 
plan.  In  contemplating  these  two — the  first  in  the  order  of 
our  race — we  behold  the  powerful  and  skillful  hand  of  the 
Almighty.  These  are  results  of  the  touch  of  the  Author 
of  all.  We  can  see  the  wisdom  of  the  Divine  mind  in 
establishing  a  unity  in  man  and  woman.  Man  is  before 
God,  and  woman  taken  from  his  side  stands  beside  him. 
The  Framer  of  their  bodies,  who  breathed  into  them  life 
and  gave  them  mind  and  heart,  exclaims,  ''Therefore  shall 
a  man  leave  his  father  and  mother,  and  shall  cleave  unto 
his  wife:  and  they  shall  be  one  flesh."  He  thus  per- 
formed the  first  marriage  ceremony.  What  a  value  it  puts 
upon  marriage  that  it  is  commended  again  and  again  in 


146  MARRIAGE. 

Scripture!  Long  after  this  union  between  our  first  parents 
had  taken  place,  these  were  the  words  of  King  Lemuel  as 
recorded  in  the  last  chapter  of  Proverbs,  ''The  heart  of 
her  husband  doth  safely  trust  in  her.  "  It  was  a  reau- 
thorization of  marriage  when  our  Saviour  attended  one  at 
Cana  of  Galilee  and"  honored  it  with  his  first  miracle  of 
turning  water  into  wine.  Need  we  wonder  to  find  in 
Heb.  xiii.  4.  the  words,  **  Marriage  is  honorable  in  all," 
showing  how  high  it  stood  in  the  estimation  of  thought- 
ful men,  and  so  it  is  to  this  day  and  will  be  to  the  end  of 
the  world's  history.  We  can  never  grow  tired  of  it.  For, 
I.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  evidently  that  for  which  man 
and  woman  were  created.  There  was  a  likeness 
between  them  at  the  start  in  point  of  both  body 
and  mind,  yet  such  difference  as  not  to  make  the 
one  a  reduplication  of  the  other.  Man  had  physical 
qualities  that  woman  did  not  possess — so  that 
merely  glancing  at  the  face  you  could  tell  the  one 
from  the  other.  On  the  other  hand,  woman  was  the 
helpmeet.  She  possessed  something  that  man  had  not — 
discernible  in  form,  in  look,  in  voice.  They  could  under- 
stand one  another.  Together  they  were  able  to  enquire 
into  the  wonders  around  them.  Their  tasks  lay  along- 
side. Co-operation  was  the  necessary  result.  They  tilled 
the  land  in  common.  And  yet  there  was  dissimilarity 
between  them — one  finding  in  the  other  something  not 
in  him  or  her.  There  was  more  than  companionship. 
These  hearts  joined  in  love,  and  there  was  no  need  of 
ceremony  to  join  them  together.     Mere   marriage  form 


MARRIAGE.  i47 

-could  not  do  that.  They  were  already  one.  Their  hearts 
had  flown  together.  And  so  it  has  been  ever  since.  The 
only  difference  now  is  that  there  are  not  two  beings  only 
standing  before  us.  They  are  brought  mysteriously  to- 
gether out  of  the  multitudes.  There  is  the  young  lad  now 
growing  to  maturity.  Hitherto  he  has  acted  as  though 
there  were  no  difference  between  himself  and  the  girls 
around.  They  have  played  together — perhaps  quarrelled 
— without  awaking  other  thought  than  of  companionship. 
All  at  once  he  feels  himself  separate.  He  becomes  con- 
scious of  needing  some  one  to  flow  into  his  very  being  to 
constitute  manliness  in  its  highest  form.  It  may  seem 
strange  there  is  always  one  ready  to  respond  to  these 
feelings,  and  long  before  word  or  thought  of  engagement 
has  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth,  there  is  an  unconscious 
inclination  of  one  to  the  other.  They  know  not  what  it 
is,  but  a  want  grows  within  each  heart.  They  are  drawn 
together  until  they  find  themselves  necessary  to  one 
another — until  the  man  discovers  what  is  wanting  in  him- 
self to  be  in  that  other,  and  the  woman  feels  herself 
drawn  within  the  circle  of  another's  personality.  They 
are  thrown  together  in  the  providence  of  God.  We  are 
not  prepared  to  say  that  every  marriage  is  ordained  of 
God,  so  that  one  certain  woman  is  laid  out  for  every 
man.  The  number  of  uncongenial  marriages — or  mere 
legal  unions — seems  to  argue  against  this.  God  of  course 
knows  beforehand  every  case  of  man  and  woman  des- 
tined to  be  united.  But  in  what  we  call  the  normal 
union,  or  the  example  of  a  man  finding  in  a  woman  just 


148  MARRIAGE. 

what  he  wants,  and  of  a  woman  discovering  in  a  man  him 
to  whom  she  feels  specially  fitted,  there  is  surely  design 
on  the  part  of  their  Creator.  So  that  we  can  say  they 
are  fitted  for  each  other.  The  one  may  be  born  in  Eng- 
land, the  other  in  America.  It  is  the  same  thing  when 
they  come  together.  There  is  the  consciousness  of  ten- 
dency towards  each  other — of  each  fiiling  a  vacuum  in 
the  other.  And  spectators  will  notice  how  well  suited 
they  are  long  before  a  feeling  of  this  kind  takes  root 
within  their  breasts.  There  comes  the  moment  when 
love  makes  itself  felt.  They  may  have  walked  together, 
talked  in  each  other's  hearing,  gone  to  church  for  years, 
without  such  feeling  asserting  itself.  When  they  become 
thus  conscious,  then  they  know  themselves  to  be  for  each 
other.  There  is  the  union  formed.  They  have  merged 
into  one  another's  being.  They  are  really  one — long  be- 
fore marriage  ceremony  can  be  pronounced.  They  are 
more  than  companions,  more  than  friends,  they  are  part 
of  each  other.  And  when  at  length  the  question  is  put — 
a  wholesome  method  enforced  by  Divine  example — ''What 
is  to  hinder?"  ** Therefore  shall  a  man  leave  his  father 
and  mother  and  shall  cleave  unto  his  wife,  and  they  shall 
be  one  flesh,"  they  are  thenceforth  one  in  the  eye  of 
the  law — one  flesh  before  the  world.  Each  has  an  indi- 
viduality, but  it  is  lost  in  their  blending  love.  They 
have  but  one  life  to  live,  although  each  has  a  separate 
existence.  The  streams  of  their  being,  hitherto  flowing 
apart  yet  being  on  the  same  level  or  plain,  now  merge  to- 
gether and  become  a  mightier  flow — a  greater  volume. 


MARRIAGE.  149 

II.  Notice,  secondly,  the  end  God  has  in  view  in  thus 
creating  man  and  woman  for  each  other,  and  instituting 
their  marriage.  The  Divine  purpose  of  this  is  to  create 
the  household.  In  the  case  of  Adam  and  Eve  the  home  is 
constituted.  It  is  obvious  that  this  was  done  before  sin 
entered  into  the  world,  or  the  appearance  of  the  malicious 
tempter  to  evil.  From  which  we  are  to  conclude  it  to 
have  been  the  design  of  the  Almighty  to  build  up  the 
race  into  society  and  nations  from  the  household  centre. 
Had  there  been  no  sin,  the  original  home  would  have  been 
multiplied  into  thousands,  and  the  kindred  thus  growing 
into  national  life  and  dimensions  would  have  been  the 
scene  of  endless  felicity  and  prosperity.  As  with  well 
ordered  families  to  this  day  their  blessedness  is  secured  by 
keeping  the  Gospel  covenant  of  Salvation,  it  would  have 
proved  with  the  multiplication  of  families  into  one  grand 
nationality  that  they  had  the  blessing  of  God  upon  them, 
and  their  growth  was  continually  in  the  direction  of 
health  and  strength.  With  the  normally  constructed 
household  of  to-day,  it  is  the  same  thing.  Husband  and 
wife  start  out  having  in  and  upon  them  God's  blessing. 
This  means  everything.  The  Divine  favor  may  appear 
to'  many  to  be  something  impalpable,  upon  which  we  can- 
not lay  our  hands,  that  we  cannot  hear  with  our  ears. 
But  it  is  none  the  less  real  for  all  that.  It  is  not  the 
things  we  can  see  and  touch  that  are  the  realities  of  life. 
These  are  for  the  most  part  ever  fading  and  are  destined 
to  pass  out  of  view.  But  those  things  which  last  are  the 
riches  and  honors  which  our  Maker  imparts.     With  this 


I50  MARRIAGE. 

reality,  with  which  to  commence  married  life,  the  man 
and  woman  we  are  considering  are  wealthy  beyond 
compare.  It  is  evident  God  has  in  view  their  supreme 
happiness.  With  what  joy  in  one  another  they  begin  their 
married  life!  Henceforth  they  are  to  live  for  each  other. 
It  maybe  that  humble  cot  in  the  country,  or  the  dwelling 
in  the  city,  is  but  small.  But  what  of  that  ?  It  is  home. 
The  husband  brings  to  it  the  earnings  he  acquires  from 
the  work  of  his  hands.  These  are  expended  wisely  and 
well  to  secure  comfort.  The  wife  lends  skillful  hands  and 
industrious  ways  to  the  common  weal,  and  behold  the 
bright  fireside,  the  well  lighted  room,  the  table  spread 
with  dainties — everything  which  skill  and  labor  can 
command  to  secure  comfort  and  peace.  We  generally  find 
the  well  ordered  couple  growing  in  prosperity  until  the 
cottage  or  city  dwelling  becomes  larger  in  size,  and  by 
and  by  through  industry  and  good  management  they  have 
no  less  than  a  palace  to  live  in,  and  luxuries  at  their 
command.  Such  increase  is  not  necessary  to  true 
happiness,  but  with  these  persons  there  is  ever  a  growing 
delight  in  one  another.  Even  though  it  be  nothing  but 
the  cot  still,  you  can  see  their  lot  is  to  lie  on  pastures 
green  and  by  waters  still,  and  to  rejoice  in  their  common 
welfare.  The  home  is  appointed  by  God  for  happiness. 
What  a  moment  is  that  when  the  Unseen  Hand  places  the 
little  babe  in  the  mother's  bosom,  and  the  father  is  more 
than  ever  atracted  homewards  by  the  magnet  lying  in  that 
small  crib  !  What  a  wonderful  gift  is  a  child  !  The  home 
is  indeed  enlarged,   though   its  rooms  remain   the   same. 


MARRIAGE,  1511 

There  is  an  incentive  given  to  husband  and  wife  they  did* 
not  feel  before.  More  than  ever  they  give  themselves  to 
the  task  of  building  their  household  with  the  Creator's 
substantial  mercies.  As  now  they  chant  His  praise,  they 
are  impressed  with  the  duty  before  them,  of  caring  for  that 
tiny  one,  of  shielding  and  protecting  the  child,  and  by  and 
by  of  training  their  young  with  their  enlarging  powers  in 
the  way  in  which  to  go.  In  t'iC  narrative  of  the  model  wife 
in  the  last  chapter  of  Proverbs,  the  happy  home  is  beautifully 
pictured.  Tnere  is  not  one  child — there  are  many  children, 
the  objects  of  this  excellent  mother's  care.  She  scrupul- 
ously attends  to  her  family  duties.  She  gives  not  sleep  to 
her  eyelids  during  the  night  of  suffering  and  distress.  She 
is  diligent  in  bringing  their  food  and  clothing  from  afar. 
In  her  bosom  lies  her  babe  for  protection  and  nourishment. 
With  superior  ability  she  conducts  her  merchandise.  Her 
nimble  fingers  are  never  at  rest.  Withal  there  is  room 
for  the  stranger  at  the  gate.  You  will  notice  the  honored 
place  her  husband  has  among  the  rulers  of  the  land.  He 
is  known  in  the  streets.  As  he  passes  along  spectators 
instinctively  say,  "Wliat  a  good  wife  that  man  has  at 
home."  If  ever  living  epistle  were  known  and  read  of  all, 
it  is  the  husband  who  comes  daily  from  a  well  kept  house. 
He  is  known  by  every  look  and  gesture,  by  the  step  he 
firmly  plants  on  the  ground,  by  his  entire  bearing  when  at 
business.  What  a  household  that  becomes,  when  at  length 
the  sons  and  daughters  are  attaining  maturer  years — when 
their  education  is  going  on — when  father  and  mother  are 
interesting  themselves  in  their  children's  books  and  music 


152  MARRIAGE. 

and  usefulness,  in  their  habits  of  skill  and  perseverance. 
If  anything  on  earth  is  an  approach  to  heaven,  it  is  a  well- 
regulated  family.  It  lies  in  the  joy  which  parents  have  in 
their  children,  and  in  the  obedience  and  love  which  reign 
in  their  home. 

Let  us  feel  that  "marriage  is  honorable  in  all," — for  it 
is  by  its  means  God  builds  up  the  state,  the  country,  the 
race  at  large.  There  will  never  be  nation  to  compare  for 
health  and  prosperity  with  that  in  which  the  home  occupies 
a  distinguished  place.  What  are  we  as  a  people  but  so 
many  families  related  to  one  another  by  ties  of  kindred  and 
fellowship?  We  make  bold  to  say  that  it  is  where  marriage 
is  regarded  as  an  holy  estate  the  country  is  being  lifted  up 
to  health  and  comfort.  Should  war  ever  come  upon  a 
land  like  this — war  that  arises  from  the  ambition  of  tyranny 
and  cruelty — the  one  thought  of  all  patriots  would  be  to 
defend  their  homes.  The  humble  dwelling  as  well  as  the 
palace  is  sacred.  There  is  not  a  man  amongst  us  but 
would  shed  his  last  drop  in  defence  of  the  home,  nor  a 
woman  who  would  not  follow  her  heroic  husband  or  son 
to  the  battle  field  with  her  prayers  for  God  to  overshadow 
the  household  with  His  loving  and  protecting  hands.  Give 
us  home  in  its  true  sense — with  the  meaning  God  lends  to  it 
— and  we  need  not  fear  for  national  prowess.  Yes!  are 
we  not  patriots  the  moment  our  homes  are  attacked — 
when  our  wives  and  children  are  in  danger  ? 

III.  You  will  observe,  dear  friends,  thirdly,  the  meaning 
given  to  marriage  when  viewed  as  a  symbol  of  the  union 
between  Christ  and  believers.     The  words  of  Paul  (Rom. 


MARRIAGE.  153 

xv:5.6)  apply  as  a  general  principle  to  husband  and  wife 
more  than  to  any  other  relationship.  **  Now  the  God  of 
patience  and  consolation  grant  you  to  be  like-minded  to 
one  another  according  to  Christ  Jesus;  that  ye  may  with 
one  mind  and  one  mouth  glorify  God,  even  the  Father  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  With  these  words  before  us  we 
do  not  need  go  far  till  we  come  upon  the  thought  of  this 
Apostle,  (i  Cor.  vii.  25.-27.)  "Husbands  love  your  wives, 
even  as  Christ  also  loved  the  Church,  and  gave  himself  for 
it . .  .  that  he  might  present  it  to  himself  a  glorious  Church, 
not  having  spot  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing,  but  that  it 
should  be  holy  and  without  blemish."  Nay,  such  is 
Christian  influence  that  even  '*  the  unbelieving  husband 
becomes  sanctified  by  the  wife,  and  the  unbelieving  wife 
by  her  husband  .  .  .  else  were  their  children  unclean,  but 
now  are  they  holy."  If  so,  then  a  loving  husband  and  wife 
are  a  type  of  the  marriage  of  Jesus  Christ  and  all  believers. 
Do  we  want  to  know  the  closeness  with  which  Christ  is 
knit  to  them  ?  Behold  the  man  and  woman  in  their 
endearing  nearness.  Would  you  have  the  love  of  Christ 
pourtrayed  in  living  colors,  look  upon  that  husband  gazing 
with  fond  rapture  upon  her  who  is  thus  brought  nigh  ? 
Do  you  want  to  see  in  what  union  between  the  Saviour 
and  those  who  love  him  consists?  Think  of  the  self — 
sacrifice — the  devotion — with  which  the  husband  waits 
upon  the  footsteps  of  his  wife.  Would  you  know  the 
eternal  duration  of  Christ's  love,  witness  the  man  enduring 
to  the  end — faithful  in  every  word  and  action — none  the 
less   reliable   when   absent,   all   the  more  precious  when 


154  MARRIAGE. 

present.  Thus  we  can  gaze  into  eternity  as  we  behold 
the  lovely  sight  of  a  husband  maintaining  his  fidelity  amid 
the  abounding  allurements.  On  the  other  hand,  how  learn 
the  ardour  with  which  believers  look  to  Christ  their 
husband,  then  see  the  deep  attachment  the  wife  reveals — 
behold  her  footsteps  in  the  husband's  interests.  Would 
you  know  what  it  is  to  be  a  faithful  follower  of  Jesus 
Christ,  then  look  on  the  unswerving  faithfulness  of  that 
noble  wife.  If  we  would  see  how  a  believer  is  to  wait  on 
his  Lord,  regard  the  mother  thinking  not  of  self  but 
carefully  tending  her  husband  and  children.  If  you 
desire  more  than  a  picture  of  the  zeal  you  should  show  in 
Christ's  cause,  turn  with  me  to  this  living  letter  presented 
in  that  companion  dear  and  true  waiting  upon  her  husband 
on  a  sick-bed — knowing  not  day  from  night — only  caring 
to  watch  the  face  of  her  beloved.  Yes  !  think  of  this,  you 
the  husband  and  you  the  wife,  exhibiting  an  imperishable 
bond  which  you  are  hardly  conscious  of  but  is  none  the 
less  real,  are  teaching  those  around  you  what  that  mystical 
union  between  Christ  and  his  followers  means.  As 
exemplifiers  of  "the  love  which  suffereth  long,  and  is  kind, 
which  envieth  not . . .  which  beareth  all  things,  believeth  all 
things,  hopeth  all  things,  endureth  all  things,"  you  are 
but  a  dim  reflection  of  the  light  and  glory  radiating  from 
the  tie  which  binds  in  one  all  believing  persons  to  the 
Lord.  It  is  my  privilege,  it  is  yours — dear  husband  and 
wife — to  look  with  honest  pride  on  Him  who  is  our  staff  and 
stay — our  rock  and  fortress. 


MARRIAGE,  155 

While  true  that  marriage  is  to  be  commended,  we  can- 
not help  touching,  in  conclusion,  the  awful  problem  of 
multitudes  bound  in  marriage  yet  far  from  reflecting  the 
unity  of  Messiah  and  his  beloved  Church.  Here  is  not 
the  picture  but  the  realty — hundreds  and  thousands^of 
couples  living  in  sin — transgressing  common-sense — 
bidding  defiance  to  Providence.  Oh  what  tears,  what 
agonies,  what  distresses,  are  seen  on  all  hands  !  Think  of 
men  cursing,  striking  the  children  they  are  bound  to  love, 
nay,  dealing  to  a  wife  the  murderous  blow.  Turn  to  these 
women — drunken,  filthy,  bitter — striking  and  cursing 
their  children  and  husbands.  But  what  is  less  endurable, 
think  of  the  petty  temper,  of  jealousies,  of  idle  words, 
passing  from  one  to  another  among  those  calling  them- 
selves Christians.  And  we  see  how  much  has  to  be 
achieved  ere  marriage  reaches  its  high  ideal,  viz;  the 
fitting  symbol  of  the  marriage  of  Jesus  to  his  well- 
beloved  spouse  and  makes  us  exclaim,  ''Let  us  be  glad 
and  rejoice  ;  for  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  is  come,  and 
his  wife  hath  made  herself  ready.  "     Rev  xix.  7. 

This  leads  to  consider  Divorce.  It  is  evident  how  far 
we  are  from  ideal  marriage  when  we  turn  to  our  Courts 
of  Law  and  behold  the  number  of  couples  separating  on 
grounds  other  than  that  which  is  laid  down  in  the  Old 
Testament  and  reiterated  by  Jesus  Christ.  We  cannot 
but  think  of  the  welfare  of  Society  constructed  on  the 
principle  of  true  and  faithful  conduct.  But  now  Divorce  is 
obtained  in  one  State  and  set  aside  in  another — even  when 
decreed  on  the  ground  of  violated  chastity.     It  is  not  a 


156  MARRIAGE 

healthy  principle  for  society  to  separate  husband  and  wife 
for  the  thousand  and  one  reasons  which  are  given.  To 
think  of  the  maiital  tie  set  aside  for  alleged  desertion, 
cruelty,  want  of  support,  intemperance!  This  is  the 
entrance  wedge  to  social  disintigration  and  destruction. 
The  law  of  marriage  throughout  the  United  States  should 
be  one  and  the  same. 

For  one  thing,  our  fair  sisters  are  to  be  congratulated 
on  the  wonderful  progress  they  have  made  in  trades  and 
professions  which  enable  them  to  lead  useful,  honorable 
and  independent  lives,  if  travelling  their  journey  alone. 
^'The  new  woman"  is  in  our  days  an  accomplished  fact. 
The  girl  can  be  educated  to  be  independent.  She  can 
be  bookkeeper,  physician,  teacher.  She  occupies  a  high 
level  compared  with  her  sisters  of  former  times.  In  view 
of  what  is  taking  place  before  our  eyes,  we  should  say  to 
those  who  are  not  intended  for  matrimony — be  ready  for 
work— for  duties  especially  of  the  higher  kind— and  your 
career  to  the  end  will  be  one  of  usefulness  aud  honor. 


PRAYER 

Our  Heavenly  Father,  accompany  with  Thy  blessing  our  meditation' 
on  marriage.  Teach  us  from  the  deep  meaning  of  the  words,  "Therefore 
shall  a  man  leave  his  father  and  mother  and  cleave  unto  his  wife,  and 
they  shall  be  one  flesh,"  to  reverence  home,  to  regard  it  as  the  centre 
point  of  Christian  civilization,  to  look  upon  it  as  the  garden  in  which  the 
young  olive  plants  grow  to  beauty  and  fruitfulness.  As  the  husband 
and  wife  are  one,  so  let  us  behold  with  delight  the  unity  subsisting 
between  Christ  and  the  fair  and  beautiful  spouse — his  pure  and  loving 
people.     Amen. 


STAY    THOU    NEAR    BY. 

By  Rev.  David  Mitchell. 

Stay  Thou  near  by,  O  God  above, 
Look  on  thy  child  with  tender  love. 
May  help  to  me  be  always  given 
To  lead  me  on  the  way  to  Heaven. 

Stay  Thou  near  by,  let  grace  be  mine, 
To  make  me  pure  and  keep  me  thine, 
Through  all  life's  way  shine  thou  on  me 
That  I  may  ne'er  depart  from  thee. 

'Mid  toil  and  care,  stay  Thou  nearby. 
Be  thou  my  Rock  more  high  than  I, 
In  which  my  soul  will  find  her  rest 
And  be  with  thee  for  ever  blest. 

Stay  Thou  near  by,  that  when  my  foes 
Would  cast  me  down  to  lasting  woes, 
My  bleeding  heart  will  then  be  free 
With  hope  and  joy  to  look  to  thee. 

Stay  Thou  near  by,  that  work  be  done 
To  honor  thee  my  God  alone. 
Such  work  that  I  lost  souls  may  win 
From  darkest  woes,  from  hell  of  sin. 

0  Saviour  dear,  stay  Thou  near  by 
That  when  to  death  I'm  drawing  nigh; 

1  may  not  fear  or  doubting  be. 
But  still  find  peace  and  joy  in  thee. 

And  then  on  wings  of  faith  I'll  rise 
To  thy  pure  mansions  in  the  skies. 
No  more  my  soul  shall  need  to  cry, 
Oh  loving  Friend,  stay  Thou  near  by. 

From  the  Observer, 


THE  CHRISTIAN  RACE. 
SERMON  XI. 

This  one  thing  I  do,  forgetting  those  things  zvhich  are 
behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto  those  things  which 
are  before,  I  press  toivard  the  mark  for  the  prize 
of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus. — 
Phil.  iii.  12-13. 

The  Grecian  games  furnished  the  apostle  Paul  with 
some  of  his  most  striking  illustrations  and  powerful 
arguments.  As  a  traveller  through  various  cities  and 
regions  of  Asia  Minor,  he  had  frequent  opportunities  of 
mingling  with  the  crowds  that  eagerly  gathered  to  witness 
the  contests  for  victory  in  boxing,  running,  leaping.  To 
his  own  eye,  which  was  that  of  a  keen  observer  and 
profound  moralist,  such  games  were  ever  suggestive  of  his 
strivings  after  victory  in  the  race  and  battle  of  life.  It  is 
thus  interesting  to  think  of  Paul  in  the  midst  of  those 
eager  crowds  that  were  swaying  to  and  fro  or  throbbing 
with  the  quick  beating  pulse  of  excitement,  as  the  fight  or 
race  went  on  before  them.  While  they  were  straining 
with  eye  and  nerve  to  catch  every  movement  of  the 
contestants,  the  scene,  and  the  motions  of  the  combatants 
or  runners,  and  the  cloud  of  witnesses,  were  to  him  all 
expressive  of  the  race  or  battle  of  life,   of  his  own  efforts 


i6o  THE    CHRISTIAN  RACE. 

after  victory,  or  of  the  countless  numbers  who  from  Heaven 
were  interested  spectators  of  his  struggles  and  warfare. 
As  a  preacher  we  may  well  imagine  the  Apostle  illustrating 
his  discourses  with  vivid,  impressive  descriptions  of  the 
strivings  and  races  of  which  his  auditors  had  often  been 
willing  spectators — urging  upon  them  as  immortal  beings, 
with  all  the  earnestness  and  eloquence  of  which  he  was 
capable — at  one  time,  to  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith,  at 
another,  '*to  run  with  patience  the  race  that  is  set  before 
us,"  or  at  another  in  such  language  as  that  of  our  text,  ''I 
press  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of 
God." 

The  words — "  forgetting  those  things  which  are  behind, 
and  reaching  forth  unto  those  things  which  are  before  " — 
are  highly  descriptive  of  the  attitude,  the  eagerness  and 
the  determination  of  the  contestant.  At  the  end  of  the 
race  course  is  the  pole  or  mark,  and  upon  it  the  eye  of  the 
runner  is  keenly  fixed.  His  body  is  so  placed  as  to 
secure  the  safest,  the  easiest,  and  the  most  rapid  motion. 
He  turns  not  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the  left.  The  things 
that  are  behind,  the  point  from  which  he  started,  the 
spectators  of  the  commencement  of  the  race,  the  feelings 
and  passions  that  move  them  as  they  watch  with  eager 
gaze  the  progress  of  the  runners,  the  shouts  and  cries  of 
the  multitude,  the  stumbles  and  falls  that  have  already 
impeded  his  flight,  the  obstacles  and  difficulties  he  has  had 
thus  far  to  meet  and  overcome,  all  the  strivings  and  efforts 
he  has  put  forth  to  gain  his  present  point  in  the  race 
course,    nay,    everything   about   himself   or   others,    that 


THE  CHRISTIAN  RACE.  i6i 

formerly  occupied  his  time  and  attention,  are  all  completely 
forgotten.  He  who  turns  for  one  moment  to  think  of  any 
one  of  these  things  retards  his  progress.  The  successful 
contestant  is  unconscious  of  all  such  things.  His  whole 
body  and  mind  are  bound  up  in  one  thing.  He  sees  only 
the  mark.  He  has  but  one  aim  and  that  is  to  reach  it — to 
reach  it  before  he  falls  down  from  exhaustion,  to  touch  it 
first  in  order  of  those  who  started  for  the  goal.  Here  was 
complete  absorption  in  one  idea.  And  all  this,  which  the 
Apostle  had  probably  witnessed  frequently,  suggests  to  his 
mind  the  true  principle  of  success  in  the  Christian  career. 
He  too  forgets  the  things  which  are  behmd;  he  too  reaches 
forth  towards  the  things  that  are  before;  he  too  has  his 
eye  fixed  upon  the  mark  for  the  prize  which  is  ever  before 
him  in  the  race  course  of  life. 

We  are  by  no  means  to  understand  by  the  Apostle's 
words  that  it  is  our  duty  as  Christians  to  obliterate  all  the 
past  from  our  minds.  Were  this  the  Apostle's  meaning, 
that  we  should  by  some  means  annihilate  the  past,  and 
enter  upon  every  day  as  if  it  were  our  birthday,  or 
commencement  of  life,  such  a  course  would  not  only  deprive 
us  of  the  pleasures  of  the  past  which  can  by  memory  and 
association  be  enjoyed  over  and  over  again,  but  also  of  the 
lessons  of  wisdom  which  it  is  clearly  intended  we  are  to 
derive  from  experience.  Were  this  possible  we  would 
greatly  be  the  losers.  There  are  times  when  we  love  to 
linger  on  our  childhood's  days  and  youthful  years,  on  the 
days  when  we  knew  but  little  of  those  dangerous  forces  of 
evil  that  are  in  the  world,  when  innocence  shone  from  our 


l62  THE  CHRISTIAN  RACE. 

laughing  eyes  and  happy  voices.  Our  memory  sheds  a 
haloof  glory  around  the  time  when  we  learned  our  prayers 
at  a  mother's  knee,  or  looked  up  with  obedience  to  the 
authoritative  words  of  a  loving  father.  Our  early  lessons 
at  school,  our  choice  of  a  trade  or  profession,  all  the  steps 
by  which  we  advanced  from  one  stage  of  life  to  another, 
the  friendships  we  formed,  the  tears  of  childhood,  the 
trials  of  youth,  the  difficulties  that  met  us  in  our  onward 
path,  must  leave  their  various  traces  behind,  so  that 
though  desirable  we  will  find  it  impossible  to  obliterate 
the  past.  We  are  just  what  the  past  has  made  us.  The 
circumstances  of  our  birth,  the  influences  that  surrounded 
our  youth,  our  education  at  school  or  college, — such  things 
are  traceable  in  our  present  features  and  habits  and 
opinions.  As  you  and  I  stand  before  each  other  at  this 
moment  we  are — so  to  speak — the  photograph  of  our  past 
lives.  We  judge  each  other  by  the  habits  and  opinions 
which  we  have  been  forming  through  many  years.  And 
even  in  the  case  of  a  man  who  has  completely  changed 
from  a  vicious  to  a  virtuous  life,  or  from  unbelief  and 
hatred  of  God  to  true  piety,  there  are  traces  of  the  dark 
and  terrible  past  which  can  never  be  obliterated.  Our 
deeds  of  wrong,  our  departures  from  truth,  our  pursuit  of 
pleasure,  have  made  indelible  marks  on  our  hearts,  which 
certainly  in  this  life  can  never  be  wholly  removed.  We 
understand  the  Apostle  to  mean  by  the  words,  "forgetting 
those  things  that  are  behind,"  not  a  conscious,  determined 
effort  to  obliterate  from  memory  the  many  traces  of  the 
past,   but   that   unconsciousness   of   the   things   that   are 


THE   CHRISTIAN  RACE,  163 

behind  which  results  from  the  mind  being  engrossed  in  one 
object.  We  need  not  confine  the  illustration  of  this 
principle  to  the  domain  of  religion,  for  the  men  who  attain 
success  in  life — success  even  in  the  worldly  sense  of  the 
word — will  be  found  forgetting  the  things  that  are  behind 
in  their  pursuit  of  those  that  are  before.  Your  own 
experience  shows  that  your  most  successful  efforts  have 
been  made  when  everything  seemed  to  be  shut  out  from 
your  mind,  but  the  present  task  in  which  you  were 
engaged.  What  is  the  reason  of  such  prosperity  attending 
certain  merchants,  and  failure  and  ruin  marking  the 
career  of  others?  The  former  are  men  who  are  not 
occupied  with  a  past  dead  and  gone,  but  who  are  reaching 
forth  to  the  things  that  are  before.  The  student  who 
would  master  a  science  or  language  must  not  be  contented 
with  the  acquirements  he  has  made  in  the  past,  but  he 
must  strive  after  higher  attainments.  It  is  told  of  a 
skillful  surgeon  of  our  day,  that  he  is  so  occupied  with  the 
operation  in  which  he  is  engaged  that  there  is  nothing 
else  present  to  his  mind.  His  eye  is  centered  upon  the 
one  object.  Every  motion  of  his  body  is  made  with  a 
view  to  the  purpose  before  him.  His  mind  is  alive  only 
to  one  thing,  and  he  is  so  completely  absorbed,  that  he  is 
not  aware  of  the  efforts  he  has  put  forth,  until  the 
operation  being  over  his  nerves  and  muscles  relax,  and  so 
great  is  the  reaction  that  he  lies  down  on  his  couch,  and 
large  drops  of  sweat  fall  from  every  pore,  and  his  hands 
tremble  like  leaves  shaken  by  the  wind.  It  is  in  this  way 
all  great  ends  are  accomplished.     The  battle  that  is  to 


1 64  THE   CHRISTIAN  RACE. 

decide  a  nation's  freedom  is  won  as  the  result  of  deep 
concentration  on  one  point.  The  discoveries  of  science 
are  made  by  men  who,  forgetting  the  things  that  are 
behind,  are  reaching  towards  those  that  are  before.  The 
men  who  have  ascended  Alpine  heights,  the  summits  of 
which  seemed  far  from  reach  of  human  effort,  have  climbed 
on,  all  unconscious  of  the  dangers  of  ravines  and 
precipices  behind,  and  not  thinking  of  the  hard  labor  they 
have  undergone  to  bring  them  thus  far.  Such  examples 
then  bring  before  us  the  meaning  of  the  Apostle's  words, 
"forgetting  the  things  behind."  In  these  words  we  have 
the  principle  of  all  true  success.  They  set  before  us  an 
earnest  concentration  on  one  object,  excluding  everything 
else  from  our  mind,  as  the  only  way  by  which  to  forget 
the  things  that  are  behind,  and  secure  the  end  we  desire. 
Now,  apply  this  to  religion.  When  we  begin  the 
Christian  race,  there  are  many  things  to  draw  away  our 
attention.  Before  the  period  of  conversion,  ours  may 
have  been  a  dark  and  terrible  history.  Unlike  Paul, 
whose  opposition  to  Christ  was  done  ignorantly  in 
unbelief,  we  have  sinned  against  light  and  against  the  day. 
In  spite  of  the  warnings  and  tears  and  prayers  of  parents 
and  friends,  we  have  feverishly  drunk  the  cup  of  pleasure 
to  the  very  dregs.  Our  pathway  in  life  may  have  been 
throuoh  the  slime  and  mud  of  iniquity.  We  have  been 
eating  the  husks  the  swine  did  eat.  We  have  thus  starved 
our  minds  out  of  their  proper  food.  We  have""  verily 
revelled  in  the  service  of  sin  and  Satan.  Now,  one 
turned  from  all  this  shame  and  folly  to  the  love  of  God, 


THE    CHRIS TIA N  RACE.  165 

has  this  great  difficulty  to  surmount,  viz:  of  not  marring 
his  zeal  for  God's  service  by  a  too  frequent  and  morbid 
remembering  of  the  past.  That  dread  past  has  so  indelibly  ■ 
put  its  marks  upon  us,  that  every  time  we  see  these  we  are 
seized  with  an  inward  horror.  This  paralyzes  our  action. 
The  current  of  our  lives  flows  sluggishly  on.  Oh  in  despair 
we  are  ready  to  cry — '■■  Could  I  but  extinguish  that  horrible 
past — could  I  kill  the  phantom  out  of  my  brain — how 
differently  would  I  follow  the  Master."  Yes,  my  brother, 
it  is  true.  It  is  true  you  would  have  presented  a  different 
type  of  fellowship,  and  therefore  every  time  the  thought 
presses  upon  your  mind,  learn  to  look  to  Christ  the  more 
steadfastly.  It  is  by  becoming  engrossed  in  the  service  of 
Christ  you  will  forget  the  past  of  guilt  and  shame.  But 
by  no  other  means  will  you  wipe  out  the  sins  of  youth  or 
unconsecrated  manhood.  By  no  effort  of  mind  can  you 
forget  the  past.  All  effort  to  forget  only  rouses  to  a  higher 
consciousness.  By  no  sacrifice  will  you  obliterate  the  past. 
That  will  only  be  putting  fuel  on  the  fire  that  feeds  morbid 
despair.  It  is  only  by  a  true  consecration  to  Christ,  it  is 
only  by  being  actuated  by  one  ennobling  purpose,  that  the 
past  will  fade  from  view.  ''Reach  forth  to  the  things  that 
are  before."  Struggle  to  attain  some  worthy  end.  No 
longer  will  the  view  of  the  past  paralyze  your  energies. 
With  your  mind  going  forward,  everything  that  is  behind 
will  be  lost  sight  of.  * 

But  for  one  who  like  the  Apostle  is  far  advanced 
in  the  Christian  race,  the  words  "  forgetting  the 
things  behind"  have  a  very  different  meaning.     There  is 


1 66  THE   CHRISTIAN  RACE,  . 

a  fatal  tendency  with  men  to  rest  with  satisfaction  upon 
the  efforts  they  have  gained  in  the  past.  Had  Paul 
allowed  himself  thus  to  dwell  upon  his  past  career,  how 
much  was  there  in  it  to  take  his  mind  away  from  Christ  ? 
He  had  sacrificed  position,  the  pleasures  of  home,  the 
prospect  of  worldly  advancement.  He  had  travelled  far 
and  wide,  and  had  thus  endured  manifold  trials.  He  had 
made  successful  advances  upon  the  strongholds  of  heathen- 
dom. He  now  stood  high  in  the  estimation  of  his  fellow- 
apostles.  Had  he  contemplated  all  this  with  satisfaction, 
would  it  not  have  retarded  his  progress  ?  But  for  the 
Apostle  to  think  of  his  own  sufferings  or  conflicts  or 
victories  was  impossible,  for  his  mind  was  ever  filled  with 
an  animating  and  ennobling  purpose.  Ahd  so,  brethren, 
with  us  who  have  been  for  years — it  may  be — the  disciples 
of  Christ.  Let  us  beware  of  looking  with  delight  on  the 
past.  Let  us  not  congratulate  ourselves  on  our  past 
progress.  If  our  hearts  are  truly  fixed  upon  a  worthy 
object,  let  the  word  ''forward"  be  our  cry.  Let  us  be  so 
bound  up  in  the  progress  we  are  making  each  moment, 
that  we  shall  never  think  of  past  victories.  Oh  !  Remember 
the  past  can  do  nothing  for  us.  It  is  gone  from  us  and  all 
the  efforts  we  made,  all  the  difficulties  we  surmounted,  all 
the  points  we  gained,  these  are  past  and  gone.  They  have 
been  stepping  stones,  but  our  feet  are  now  planted  on 
Steps  higher  up.  The  waters  we  have  sailed  over,  it  is  true, 
once  bore  up  our  bark  in  their  bosom,  but  we  are  supported 
by  other  waters  now.  The  bread  which  kept  us  in  life 
yesterday   will   not   keep   us  in  life  to-day.     So  long  as 


THE   CHRISTIAN  RACE.  167 

progresses  to  be  made,  so  long  as  new  points  are  to  be 
attained,  so  long  as  the  race  is  not  run,  there  are  new 
efforts  called  for,  new  difficulties  to  be  overcome,  there  is 
ever  a  strain  upon  our  body  and  mind.  These  words  are 
truly  descriptive  of  a  Christian's  life,  *' forgetting  the 
things  that  are  behind  and  reaching  towards  those 
things  which  are  before." 

"Reaching  forth  unto  those  things  which  are  before," 
express  then  not  insensibility  to  the  past,  or  a  mere 
inert  forgetfulness,  but  unconsciousness  of  the  things  that 
are  behind,  arising  from  the  mind  being  animated  by  one 
object,  and  bound  up  in  it.  Those  things  that  are  before 
and  the  mark  for  the  prize  do  not  express  one  and  the 
same  idea.  The  mark — it  is  true — is  one  of  the  things 
that  are  before,  but  there  are  other  things  that  lie  along 
the  line  of  race  which  are  helps  and  guides  to  the  runners. 
''The  foot  race  was  run  in  the  stadium,  an  oblong  area,- 
open  at  one  end  and  rounded  in  a  semi-circular  form  at 
the  other,  along  the  sides  of  which  were  the  tiers  of  seats 
on  which  the  spectators  sat.  The  judge  was  stationed  by 
the  goal,  which  was  clearly  visible  from  one  end  of  the 
stadium  to  the  other."  The  goal  was  generally  a  long 
pole  on  which  the  laurel  crown  was  hung.  So  that  as 
well  as  this  pole,  there  would  be  a  variety  of  objects  in  the 
line  of  the  race  course,  that  would  easily  be  taken  in  by 
the  eye  of  each  contestant — these  diminishing  in  number 
as  he  advanced  towards  the  goal.  The  pole  marked  the 
end  of  the  course,  but  to  an  eager  runner  it  would  not  give 
an  accurate  idea  of  distance.     Objects  immediately  before 


i68  THE   CHRISTIAN  RACE. 

him,  such  as  stones  lying  on  his  way  or  small  poles 
indicating  degrees  of  distance,  would  be  a  considerable 
aid.  Then  again  between  two  equal  competitors,  the 
principal  mark  would  not  supply  a  sufficient  test  of  strength 
and  speed,  but  as  they  hurried  past  an  object  on  the  course, 
their  relative  speed  would  be  instantly  known,  and  greater 
force  and  strain  be  applied.  We  are  all  familiar  with  the 
influence  which  intermediate  stages  have  upon  us  as  we 
are  pursuing  our  way  towards  some  more  distant  place. 
Every  mile  stone  on  the  road,  although  it  cannot  impart 
life  or  strength,  speaks  to  us  of  progress.  As  the  eye 
catches  it  in  the  distance,  we  insensibly  put 'more  force 
into  our  steps.  As  we  ascend  a  mountain,  every  peak 
becomes  our  guide.  The  sailor  even  has  imaginary  lines 
drawn  across  the  ocean  by  which  to  measure  distance  and 
speed.  In  striving  to  attain  these  points,  we  may  be  said 
to  be  "reaching  forth  towards  those  things  that  are 
before." 

What,  then,  my  brethren,  is  analagous  to  this  in  the 
Christian  race  ?  To  answer  this  we  must  endeavor  to 
understand  what  the  Apostle  means  by  the  mark  for  the 
prize.  You  at  once  see  that  the  mark  and  the  prize  were 
two  distinct  objects.  In  the  Grecian  game  the  one  was  a 
pole  and  the  other  a  crown.  And  in  all  contests  we 
distinguish  between  the  mark  and  the  prize.  At  school 
the  mark  for  the  prize  is  a  certain  amount  of  knowledge. 
The  prize  may  be  anything  you  like — book  or  medal.  In 
business  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  success  is  knowledge, 
experience  and   integrity.     The  prize  may  be   money  or 


THE  CHRIS TIA N  RACE.  169 

influence.  And  in  the  same  way  the  mark  for  the  prize  of 
the  Christian  imperfection  of  character.  In  this  case  the  prize 
is  the  blessedness  of  Heaven.  That  perfection  of  character 
is  the  mark,  and  the  blessedness  of  heaven  the  prize,  is 
evident  from  the  context.  In  the  nth  verse  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead  is  a  term  denoting  the  happiness  of  the 
saints.  That  in  the  Apostle's  estimation  is  the  end  to  be 
gained.  But  the  means  to  attam  that  end  is  following 
after  Christ,  ''that  I  may  apprehend  that  for  which  also  I 
am  apprehended  of  Christ  Jesus."  This  is  prefaced  with 
the  words,  ''not  as  though  I  had  already  attained,  or  were 
already  perfect."  But  such  perfection  is  only  before  the 
Apostle's  mind.  He  does  not  possess  it.  "Brethren,  I 
count  not  myself  to  have  apprehended,  or  to  be  thus 
perfect,  but  this  one  thing  I  do.  I  press  toward  the  mark 
for  the  prize." 

If  then  the  mark  for  the  prize  is  perfection  of  character, 
the  things  which  are  before  us,  and  are  marking  interme- 
diate stages  between  our  present  point  and  the  goal  that 
lies  at  the  end  of  the  race,  are  the  various  degrees  and 
qualities  of  Christian  character  that  are  steps  toward 
ultimate  perfection.  We  should  be  ever  reaching  forth 
towards  more  love,  greater  devotion,  profounder  wisdom, 
higher  knowledge  of  the  truth.  The  Christian  runner  can 
never  be  satisfied  with  his  present  attainments.  What  he 
has  gained  this  day  is  now  one  of  the  things  that  are 
behind,  and  which  will  be  immediately  forgotten  as  his  eye 
fixes  itself  upon  another  point  that  is  yet  to  be  attained. 
So  long  as  he  is  in  this  life  it  must  ever  be  a  progress.     As 


170  THE  CHRISTIAN  RACE. 

he  conquers  one  sin,  it  only  reveals  another  to  be  overcome. 
As  he  feels  the  delightful  influence  of  the  first  rays  of  the 
love  of  God  that  have  fallen  upon  him,  it  only  makes  him 
still  open  his  heart  to  receive  more  and  more  of  that  love. 
As  to  the  knowledge  of  God  he  will  feel  as  Newton  felt 
with  regard  to  the  knowledge  of  God's  works  in  nature, 
that  he  has  but  picked  up  a  pebble  here  and  there  on  the 
sea  shore,  while  on  that  shore  itself  there  are  possibly 
countless  pearls  lying  all  unseen  by  human  eye,  and  in 
that  ocean  there  are  myriads  of  precious  stones  entirely 
beyond  his  reach.  As  to  his  faith  in  Jesus,  he  will  truly 
realize  that  all  his  past  acts  of  faith  are  nothing,  that  as 
he  endeavors  to  exercise  more  faith  how  needful  is  the 
prayer,  ''Lord,  help  mine  unbelief,"  and  that  before  him 
lie  countless  opportunities  for  exercising  a  faith,  the 
strength  of  which  he  has  never  yet  even  conceived.  As 
he  rejoices  in  the  spirituality  of  feeling  with  which  he  can 
now  draw  near  to  God  in  prayer,  he  will  remember  with 
humility  how  many  Christian  brethren  have  attained  to 
heights  of  spiritual  thought  and  feeling  that  tower  far 
above  him.  And  as  he  strains  to  advance  the  name  and 
kingdom  of  Christ  Jesus,  other  work  will  press  upon  him. 
New  powers  will  seem  to  arise  within  him.  A  field  of 
large  enterprise,  of  new  possibilities,  will  spread  out  before 
him.  He  will  feel  that  as  yet  he  has  done  nothing,  and 
that  every  moment  he  must  be  up  and  doing.  ''Forward,'* 
not  "backward,"  is  the  christian's  motto.  "Reaching 
forth  unto  the  things  which  are  before,"  is  not  only 
characteristic  of  him,  but  as  a  phrase  it  is  suggestive  of 


THE   CHRISTIAN  RACE,  171 

his  life  and  work.  ''Reaching  forth  towards  the  things 
which  are  before,  I  press  towards  the  mark  for  the  prize." 

The  degrees  and  stages  that  mark  a  Christian's  career 
are  all  pointing  to  their  ^^^6^— perfection.  Now,  whence 
does  the  Apostle  derive  the  idea  of  perfection  of  character? 
Evidently,  not  from  himself,  nor  from  any  of  his  fellow- 
apostles,  nor  from  his  brethren  in  the  Church.  Looking 
at  himself  and  all  others  he  can  only  see  imperfection, 
failure,  debts.  But  the  ideal  of  perfection  is  the  life  and 
character  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  To  be  perfect  even 
as  He  was  perfect,  is  the  mark  for  the  prize.  In  Christ  is 
the  highest  possible  pattern  of  human  excellence.  He  not 
only  exhibited  in  the  greatest  degree  those  qualities  of 
honesty,  truthfulness,  zeal,  which  men  at  all  times  admire 
and  value.  But  a  heavenliness  of  purity  and  goodness 
shone  from  him,  such  as  no  man  had  ever  witnessed 
before.  His  was  the  highest  form  of  devotion.  His 
communion  with  the  spirits  of  the  upper  world  was  perfect. 
His  sympathy  with  men  was  so  subtle  and  sensitive  that  at 
the  touch  of  a  woman  his  manhood  or  virtue  sensibly 
went  out  to  her.  While  the  very  presence  of  the  mere 
professor  or  hypocritical  Pharisee  seemed  to  influence  Him 
as  sensitively  as  the  touch  of  the  operator  does  the 
magnetic  wire.  In  Christ  was  purity  incarnate — transcend- 
ing all  the  maxims  and  speculations  of  philosophers.  Here 
was  holiness  of  character  and  conversation,  such  as  had 
never  been  witnessed  upon  the  earth. 

What  the  Apostle  conceived  Christ  to  be,  he  resolved  to 
become.     He  knew  that  Christ  became  like  unto  men  in 


1 7 2  THE    CHRIS TIA N  RACE. 

all  points,  saving  that  of  sin,  in  order  that  His  followers  in 
turn  might  in  every  particular  become  like  unto  Him.  To 
attain  likeness  to  Christ,  he  determined  to  press  forward. 
We  must  notice  here,  my  brethren,  the  grand  difference 
between  the  mark  in  the  Christian  race  and  that  of  the 
text.  The  latter  is  at  a  well  known  and  easily  defined  dis- 
tance from  the  starting  point.  But  as  perfection  of  char- 
acter can  only  be  attained  at  the  end  of  life — when  death 
shall  separate  us  from  sin  and  all  its  woes — the  race  of 
each  believer  will  continue  throughout  his  earthly  career. 
We  must  remember  that,  just  as  in  certain  lights,  to  the 
traveller  a  mountain  or  tree,  or  house  seems  near  at  hand, 
when  it  is  really  many  miles  away  ;  so  every  step 
toward  Christ,  every  advance  we  make  in  likeness  to  Him, 
will  only  reveal  how  far  we  are  from  His  character.  As 
we  journey  on  the  object  upon  which  our  eye  is  fixed  will 
seem  always  to  recede  from  us.  Sometimes  we  will  lose 
sight  of  it  altogether,  and  when  in  despair  we  think  we 
have  lost  it,  again  it  will  burst  upon  our  view.  In  the 
days  of  health  and  vigorous  manhood,  as  we  may  be  but 
half  way  on  the  journey,  the  goal  will  sometimes  seem 
far  away.  And  yet  the  Christian  does  not  despair,  for  so 
long  as  he  sees  the  mark  he  may  be  sure  he  is  advancing 
towards  it.  If  he  is  laid  low  on  a  bed  of  sickness,  from 
which  he  does  not  hope  to  recover,  strange  to  say  that 
mark  towards  which  he  had  ever  been  striving,  appears  to 
have  been  brought  near  him,  and  should  he  in  God's  mercy 
be  spared  to  rise  up  once  more  he  need  not  wonder 
that,  as  he  walks  forth  into  the  world  again  with  new   life 


THE  CHRISTIAN  RACE.  173 

and  hopes,  the  goal  or  mark  for  the  prize  will  appear  now- 
far  in  the  distance.  And  when  at  last  the  Christian  dies, 
the  experience  he  will  have  will  be  akin  to  that  of  the 
disciples  when,  after  the  storm  had  been  allayed  at  the  com- 
mand of  their  Master,  their  ship  was  brought  suddenly  to 
the  shore.  As  the  Grecian  runner  at  length  caught  the 
pole  on  which  the  garland  was  hung,  so  the  Christian  dying 
in  the  arms  of  Jesus  will  seem  to  have  caught  hold  of  him 
at  last  Clasping  the  mark  for  the  prize,  the  spirit  of  a 
man,  as  soon  as  it  leaves  this  world,  will  mount  to  the 
skies,  to  receive  from  the  JUDGE — who  had  watched  the 
race  all  along,  who  had  secretly  supported  and  cheered  the 
runner — the  never  fading  crown  of  life. 

Brethren,  let  us  comfort  ourselves  with  this  thought  that 
not  as  in  the  Grecian  game  only  one  or  at  the  most  two 
or  three  of  the  contestants  received  the  prize ;  in  the 
Christian  race  every  one  who  presses  forward  will  be  sure 
to  get  from  day  to  day  the  blessing  of  God's  strengthening 
grace,  and  will  in  the  end  attain  to  likeness  of  the  holy 
Jesus.  We  need  not  despair  that  others,  who  started 
along  side  of  us  in  the  Christian  race,  are  now  apparently 
far  before  us.  Be  it  ours  still  to  press  forward,  sure  that 
in  the  end  we  will  gain  the  victory.  There  will  be  honor 
for  the  child  who  has  commenced  the  race.  Dying  in  the 
Lord,  he  will  have  the  likeness  of  Jesus.  There  will  be 
victory  for  the  young  brother  or  sister,  called  in  darly  life 
from  this  world  of  sin  and  tears,  for  such  will  have  become 
like  the  Saviour.  There  will  be  victory  for  the  aged  and 
bowed  down.     The  features  of  Christ  may  not  be  seen  for 


174  THE   CHRISTIAN  RACE. 

the  scars  with  which  life's  battle  has  marred  their  visage, 
or  for  the  decay  and  weakness  of  age  ;  but  when  they 
shall  awake,  it  will  be  with  the  likeness  of  God,  and  then 
they  shall  see  him  as  He  is.  Let  us  make  the  Apostle's 
words  our  own,  *'I  press  towards  the  mark  for  the  prize 
of  the  high  calling  of  God.*'  You  see  he  seems  to  put  the 
prize  second  in  importance  to  the  mark  for  the  prize.  As 
much  as  to  say,  make  it  your  one  object  to  attain  the 
mark  which  will  entitle  you  to  the  prize.  Do  not  think  of 
the  prize  only.  Think  first  and  foremost  of  the  mark.  Be 
earnest  about  attaining  to  perfection.  The  time  will  come 
when  you  will  consider  with  satisfaction  the  prize.  But 
you  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  prize  just  now.  As  it  is 
unworthy  the  scholar  to  study  for  the  sake  of  a  mere 
prize,  and  as  he  ought  to  work  only  with  the  view  of  acquir- 
ing the  knowledge  that  is  requisite  for  the  prize  ;  as  it 
would  bemean  a  soldier  to  think  only  of  the  glory  arising 
from  victory,  and  not  to  give  himself  heart  and  soul  to 
the  work  to  be  done  to  gain  the  battle  ;  as  it  degrades  a 
merchant,  or  physician,  or  minister  of  the  gospel  to  be 
ever  striving  for  wealth,  fee  or  reward,  and  not  to  have  a 
single  eye  to  the  special  object  of  his  profession;  so  it  is 
dangerous  for  the  follower  of  Christ  to  be  ever  thinking 
of  Heaven  only — of  future  joys — of  everlasting  honors. 
Let  him  remember  that  in  setting  his  mind  upon  rewards 
he  may  overlook  what  is  necessary  to  obtain  them.  In 
thinking  only  of  Heaven  he  may  forget  the  way  to  reach 
it.  In  dwelling  constantly  upon  the  blessedness,  to 
which  the  service  of  Christ  leads,  he  may  fail  to  remem- 


THE   CHRISTIAN  RACE,  175 

ber  that  following  Christ  demands  earnest  effort,  a  close 
walk  with  God,  and  many  deeds  of  self-sacrifice.  May 
it  be  ours  then  to  be  able  to  say — ''This  one  thing  I  do — 
I  press  towards  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling 
of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." 


My  country,  'tis  of  thee, 
Sweet  land  of  liberty. 

Of  thee  I  sing; 
Land  where  my  fathers  died, 
Land  of  the  Pilgrim's  pride. 
From  ev'ry  mountain  side, 

Let  freedom  ring. 


OUR  GLORIOUS  FOURTH. 
SERMON  XII. 

Blessed  is    the    Nation    whose    God  is    the    Lord. — Ps. 

XXXIII.   12. 

Such  words  coming  from  the  lips  of  a  king  have  a 
special  significance.  It  is  well  for  us  to  .give  heed  to 
their  meaning.  Many  a  one  in  David's  circumstances 
would  have  thought  of  the  nation  as  blessed  in  her 
rulers,  her  statesmen,  warriors,  navies,  armies,  or  in  her 
laws,  her  education,  her  riches.  But  the  king  of  Israel 
looked  away  from  these  to  God.  He  could  conceive  of 
no  strength,  or  wisdom,  or  nobility,  if  God  were  blotted 
out  of  men's  thoughts. 

Accepting  this  as  true  that,  "Blessed  is  the  nation 
whose  God  is  the  Lord,"  it  is  an  important  question  for 
every  nation  to  consider  and  answer,  "Who  is  our 
Lord  ?"     Are  we  a  Christian  nation  ? 

'*  Are  WE,  the  people  of  these  United  States,  a  Christ- 
ian nation  ?"  is  being  agitated  in  many  quarters.  You 
will  remember  the  society  which  was  formed  many 
years  ago,  whose  object  was  to  obtain  the  insertion  in  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States  of  an  expression  of 
faith  in  God.  Whether  this  will  ever  succeed  is  doubt- 
ful, but  it  is  one  of  the  straws  which    indicate    how  the 


178  OUR  GL OR  10 US  FO UR TH. 

wind  blows.     "  Are  we  a  Christian  people  ?"    are   words 
on  every  one's  lips  in  presence  of  the  fearful  disclosures 
that  fill  our  public  prints      Let  us  put  this  question  to  our- 
selves.    The  crimes  that  are  being  committed  can  only  be 
compared  with  the  worst  times  of  Rome,  when  monsters 
in    human   shape  occupied    the    throne    and    the   high 
offices    of    the   State.        Sodom    and    Gomorrah    have 
become  bywords  as  expressive    of   the   grossest   gratifi- 
cations of  the  animal  passions,  but  in    our   country   we 
have  evidence  of  the  existence  of  all  the  different  grades 
of  sensuality  ^rom  forms  most    refined    to    those    most 
brutal  and  loathesome.     There  is  not  a  day  but  we  hear 
of  horrible  murders,  of  suicides  from  despair,   of  daring 
burglaries,  of  incendiarism,  of  forgers  and  counterfeiters. 
It  is  impressed  upon  us  by  our  recent   experiences   that 
there  is  a  large  class  in  every    city    who   are    restrained 
from  violence  only  by  the  strong  arm    of  the    law,  and 
who  are  ready  at  any    moment    to    pillage  property  and 
attack  our  liberties.      ''Are   we    a   Christian    Nation?" 
with  such  a  record  as  this,  presses  itself  upon  the  atten- 
tion of  every   right    thinking    man    and    woman    in    the 
land.     With    the    stench    of   these    crimes   going   up    to 
Heaven,  how   must   we   appear   before    Heaven's  King  ? 
How  do  the  pure  and    unfallen  angels  regard  us  ?     What 
are    we    in  the    eyes    of   other   nations  ?     And  especially 
when  as  is  the  case  the  vast  mass  of  our  people,  to  whose 
door  cannot  be  layed  such  crimes  as   we   have   depicted, 
are    still    the   worshippers    of   mammon    thinking  not  of 
God,  or  of  laying  up  eternal  riches  in    Heaven,    who  are 


0  UR  GL  OR  10  US  FO  UR  TH.  1 7^ 

laboring  without  thought  of  the  necessities  of  their 
spiritual  being.  It  seems  rather  more  appropriate  to  ask 
ourselves,  *' Are  we  not  an  idolatrous  people  ?  Have  we 
not  set  up  mammon  in  the  place  of  God  ?  Are  we  not 
in  the  grand  race  for  riches  rudely  jostling  one  another 
out  of  the  way,  trampling  under  foot  our  brothers 
and  sisters,  and  thinking  only  of  what  will  minister  to 
our  pride  and  ambition  ?  " 

In  answer  to  the  question,  ''Are  we  a  Christian  nation," 
we  have  to  point  first  of  all  to  the  origin  of  this  people. 
There  were,  it  is  true,  various  centres  in  the  country 
occupied  by  representatives  of  different  nationalities,  but 
still  these  representatives  were  more  or  less  subjects  of 
Christianity.  The  national  mind  turns  to  New  England 
as  having  been  the  nucleus  from  which  this  great  people 
has  grown.  The  story  is  widely  known  and  quickly  told 
of  how  a  Puritan  settlement,  escaping  from  religious 
persecution,  sought  a  home  away  from  their  native  soil, 
where  they  could  enjoy  spiritual  liberty — the  right  of 
worshipping  God  according  to  conscience,  and  of  observing 
their  own  form  of  Church  polity  without  fear  of  the  face  of 
man.  We  should  remember  of  what  stuff  these  men  were 
made.  They  were  not  merely  loyal  to  Christ,  but  they 
had  inherited  a  system  of  doctrine  and  a  rigid  practice  of 
morals,  which,  while  exciting  the  derision  of  the  thought- 
less, made  them  feared  and  respected  on  all  hands.  They 
were  men  of  the  true  martyr  spirit.  They  would  rather 
die  than  yield  to  any  encroachment  upon  their  rights. 
Their  system  of  doctrine,    which  recognized  in  God  the 


1 8o  OUR  GL OR  10 US  FO UR TH, 

righteous  disposer  of  all  events,  gave  them  a  faith  in 
Providence  which  made  them  strong  to  resist  their 
spiritual  foes.  It  was  in  the  martyr  spirit  they  came  to 
this  country,  and  encountered  unheard  of  difficulties  and 
surmounted  impassible  barriers.  They  suffered  banishment 
from  their  native  land — from  their  home  and  kindred — 
rather  than  suffer  the  tyranny  of  their  spiritual  rulers. 
These  men  were  Christians  in  a  way  in  which  few  to-day 
are  Christians.  The  Bible  meant  something  with  them. 
They  regarded  it  as  the  inspired  word  of  God — the 
book  for  daily  nourishment,  the  guide  of  their  lives,  the 
comfort  of  their  dying  moments.  They  judged  the 
worship  oi,  God  a  necessity  of  man's  nature,  and  that  it 
was  incumbent  to  adore  Him  in  a  Sanctuary.  They  loved 
Zion  and  her  ordinances.  ''How  amiable  are  thy  taber- 
nacles, O  Lord  of  Hosts,"  was  the  burden  of  their  song. 
These  were  the  men  who  would  travel  miles  amid  snow 
and  storms  rather  than  their  seats  in  God's  House  should 
be  empty.  Their  first  thought  was  where  shall  we  build 
a  home  for  the  Lord,  They  put  the  construction  of  the 
Sanctuary  in  importance  before  the  building  of  their 
.dwellings,  or  the  sowing  of  their  fields.  They  realized 
the  meaning  of  the  Saviour's  command,  **Seek  ye  first  the 
kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteousness."  And  then  the 
Sabbath  was  their  delight.  Whatever  toil  and  danger  they 
had  to  undergo  during  the  week — in  the  night  and  the 
day — in  the  cold  and  the  heat — in  storm  and  pestilence, 
there  was  nothing  that  would  interfere  with  their  observ- 
ance of  the  Lord's  day.     ''  Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to 


0  UR  GL  OR  10  US  FO  UR  TH.  1 8 1 

keep  it  holy,"  meant  with  them  a  command  from  Heaven. 
Only  at  the  cry  for  mercy,  or  in  view  of  a  pressing 
necessity,  would  they  swerve  from  the  path  trodden  in 
faith  by  their  fathers.  The  hours  of  the  Sabbath  were 
■sacred  in  their  eyes,  and  they  were  spent  in  a  manner 
wholly  incomprehensible  to  the  wise-acres  of  the  present 
age — they  were  spent  in  praise  and  prayer  and  in 
meditation  on  God's  word.  The  morals  of  this  people 
were  of  course  severe.  But  they  were  a  noble  generation. 
These  were  men  to  do  battle  with  wild  animals,  with  fires, 
with  pestilences,  with  droughts  and  famines.  These  were 
men  to  lay  the  foundations  of  an  empire  broad  and 
majestic — to  give  laws  and  legislation  in  accordance  with 
the  Bible — and  to  build  up  a  nation  of  God  fearing 
children — of  stalwart  sons  and  virtuous  daughters.  In 
the  same  way,  we  may  enquire  concerning  the  origin  of 
New  York  and  the  surrounding  country.  It. was  a  Dutch 
Colony  that  first  unfurled  the  banner  of  civilization.  What 
were  these  Hollanders  in  religion  ?  Were  they  Pagan  ? 
Were  they  idolaters  ?  Were  they  not  children  of  the 
covenants  and  the  promises?  Did  they  not  bring  with 
them  their  precious  Bibles,  their  Catechisms,  their  Confes- 
sions, their  Church  ?  We  have  their  noble  representatives 
still  in  many  churches  and  congregations  throughout  the 
land.  They  may  have  been  somewhat  philosophic  in 
temperament,  but  they  were  sound  in  the  faith.  They 
bequeathed  to  their  children  a  noble  inheritance  of  truth. 
Nor  was  the  rich  and  fertile  state  of  Pennsylvania  without 
her  religious  foundation.     It  has  not  happened  to  her  as 


1 82  OUR  GLORIOUS  FOURTH. 

to  New  York  to  have  her  original  settlers  borne  into 
oblivion  by  the  accumulating  pressure  of  heterogeneous 
nationalities.  There  to  this  day  *^the  friend"  is  to  be  seen 
walking  the  street  with  solemn  step,  the  representative  of 
a  race  of  men  simple  in  their  manners,  charitable  in  their 
deeds,  reverential  towards  God,  and  sensitive  a^  to 
insidious  temptations  from  the  world.  They  are  a  noble 
race— raised  up  by  Providence  as  a  protest  against  civil 
and  religious  corruption — an  austere  class  of  men  living 
apart  from  their  fellows,  because  they  had  a  conscience, 
and  would  not  be  ruled  by  king  or  faction  in  matters 
pertaining  to  the  soul. 

This  nation  we  thus  see  was  founded  in  Christianity. 
What  has  been  its  history?  A  certain  class  of  Historians 
and  Philosophers  behold  in  it  nothing  but  the  history  of 
political  faction.  And  certainly  there  is  much  truth  in 
the  observation.  But  if  political  faction  is  to  be  brought 
as  an  objection  to  the  Christian  character  of  a  nation,  then 
what  people  under  the  sun  can  be  Christian  ?  What  is 
the  history  of  Great  Britain  but  that  of  faction,  strife, 
of  political  and  religious  creed  ?  What  is  the  history  of 
France  but  the  alternations  of  despotism  and  democracy  ? 
The  truth  is  that  all  society  is  very  imperfect,  only 
reaching  lofty  ideals  through  failure.  But  at  the  same 
time  there  may  be  along  side  the  history  of  revolution, 
of  corruption,  and  of  immorality,  that  of  progress  in  all 
that  refines  and  elevates  man.  Blots  on  the  body  cor- 
porate of  the  nation  do  not  disprove  that  it  is  essentially 
Christian.     Christianity  has  never  given  a  people  absolute 


OUR  GLORIOUS  FOURTH.  183 

perfection,  but  only  the  conditions  that  are  necessary  to 
the  attainment  of  perfection.  And  hence  while  the  history 
of  the  United  States  has  been  one  of  party — showing  a 
constant  friction  between  opposing  factions,  and  ever 
revealing  an  awful  depth  of  moral  and  political  corruption, 
yet  it  is  the  history  of  Christian  progress.  The  life  of 
the  Church  has  kept  pace  with  that  of  the  people.  At  no 
period  can  we  say  that  the  nation  dethroned  God,  and 
set  up  the  abstractions  of  reason  in  His  place.  Protest- 
antism in  this  Country  found  new  fields  for  her  energy 
and  enterprise,  and  freed  from  the  forms,  the  prejudices, 
and  denominational  strifes  and  jealousies  of  the  old 
countries,  her  progress  has  been  one  of  triumph  and 
success.  The  soil  of  America  was  congenial  to  Protest- 
ant truth,  and  there  without  depending  upon  the  smiles 
and  favor  of  the  great,  or  fearing  the  persecution  of  her 
foes,  this  truth  took  deep  root,  and  during  an  eventful 
history,  has  ever  been  sending  out  strong  and  mighty 
branches  laden  with  rich  and  precious  fruits.  It  is  true 
the  Church  has  not  been  one,  and  like  the  Church  in 
Britain  and  every  protestant  country,  has  been  divided 
into  different  sects.  But  this  we  regard  as  an  evidence 
not  of  weakness,  but  of  the  way  in  which  Christianity  has 
adapted  herself  to  the  various  tastes  and  constitutions  of 
men,  and  resulting  largely  from  all  peoples  and  sects  com- 
ing to  these  shores.  In  other  countries  denominations 
have  grown  out  of  persecutions,  and  corruptions.  But 
in  this  country  they  have  rather  been  the  forms  of  growth 
in  which  spiritual  life  has  manifested  itself.     We  rejoice 


1 84  OUR  GL OR  10 US  FO UR TH. 

in  the  triumphs  of  all  the  Churches  other  than  our  own. 
We  are  glad  to  witness  in  the  Methodists  an  army  of 
valiant  soldiers,  who  with  spiritual  songs  gird  themselves 
for  the  battle  of  life.  It  is  no  sign  of  weakness  in 
Christianity  to  see  the  Episcopalian  Church  ministering 
to  large  numbers  who  might  not  find  the  Presbyterian 
congenial  and  edifying.  We  rejoice  to  behold  the 
advances  made  by  Baptists,  and  all  the  sects  who 
hold  by  the  cross  of  Christ.  We  are  not  unmindful, 
too,  that  Churches  which  we  may  not  regard  as  sound 
in  doctrine,  are  found  not  retarding,  but  advancing 
the  Christian  cause.  All  these  Churches  have  been 
growing  silently  and  steadily  during  the  years  gone 
by.  They  have  been  spreading  themselves  over  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  They  have  been  saturat- 
ing the  nation  with  Gospel  truth  and  Gospel  influences. 
While  thus  speaking  warmly  of  the  work  accomplished  by 
sister  Churches,  we  may  well  be  pardoned  if  we  say  a 
word  of  the  wonderful  progress  of  the  Congregational, 
and  more  especially  of  the  Presbyterian  Churches.  There 
is  not  a  city  in  the  land,  but  where  they  are  represented 
by  beautiful  buildings  and  large  congregations.  There 
is  scarcely  a  village  or  hamlet  but  what  has  its  humble 
Church,  and  its  flock  of  Christian  men  and  women.  We 
look  to  Scotland  not  merely  as  a  Presbyterian  but  as  a 
Christian  nation,  and  yet  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
America  alone  has  more  churches  and  pastors  than  all  the 
denominations  in  Scotland  put  together.  We  say  it  not 
in  pride  or  boasting.     We  remember  with  delight  the  glo- 


0  UR  GLORIO  US  FO  UR  TH.  185 

rious  work  accomplished  by  the  Presbyterians  of  Ireland 
and  of  Scotland.  We  love  to  think  of  hfer  noble  army  of 
martyrs,  who  have  suffered  and  died  to  preserve  their 
sacred  rights  and  privileges.  We  speak  with  reverence 
of  their  great  preachers,  giants  in  Isreal,  who  have  de- 
clared with  power  the  whole  counsels  of  God,  who  have 
not  been  afraid  to  call  Jesus  Christ  their  Master  and 
Lord,  and  preach  His  salvation  to  a  dying  world.  But  we 
also  rejoice  that  the  off-spring  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
of  the  mother  countries  has  not  been  weak  of  body  and 
puny  of  mind,  but  that  she  is  now  a  giantess  of  comely 
proportions,  and  is  doing  in  every  part  of  the  land 
valiant  work  for  the  Master. 

This  nation  has  thus  been  Christian  in  her  history. 
Has  she  only  been  Christian  in  name  ?  is  the  grand 
question  which  meets  us  here.  It  may  be  said  of  a  people 
as  it  was  said  of  the  Church  of  Sardis,  **Thou  hast  a 
name  that  thou  livest,  and  art  dead."  As  a  person  may  be 
Christian  in  everything  but  the  reality — in  parentage,  in 
baptism,  in  knowledge  ;  so  we  as  a  nation  may  point 
with  pride  to  our  Christian  progenitors,  to  our  Churches, 
and  Bibles  and  Sacraments,  and  yet  be  far  from  Christian 
at  heart.  In  the  outward  sense  we  are  without  doubt  a 
Christian  country.  We  acknowledge  Christ.  We  prize 
the  Bible.  We  believe  in  immortality,  in  Heaven,  and 
also  in  Hell — one  would  say  from  the  constant  use  of  the 
word  by  profane  swearers — ;  yet  who  will  say  that  we  are  a 
Christian  people  in  the  sense  of  loving  God  universally, 
and  living  according  to  his  laws?     How  many  thousands  in 


1 86  OUR  GLORIOUS  FOURTH. 

our  midst  are  the  sworn  enemies  of  religion — of  law  and 
order?  In  one  part  of  the  country  we  see  the  great  blotch  of 
polygamy,  in  another  the  dark  spot  of  political  corruption. 
The  vice  of  intemperance  like  a  cancerous  disease  has  its 
roots  in  the  heart  of  the  people,  and  its  ramifying  branches 
all  over  the  body  corporate.  Dishonesty  in  trade  is 
known  to  exist  on  all  hands.  There  is — we  hope  it  is 
passing  away — an  open,  professed  admiration  of  clever 
scoundrels.  All  this,  and  much  more  than  can  now  be 
named,  would  almost  lead  us  to  conclude  that  our 
Christianity  is  a  sham  and  reproach.  And  yet  it  would  be 
most  unfair  to  reason  in  this  way.  It  would  be  as  unjust 
as  to  conclude  that  the  Continent  of  America  is  a  barren 
and  miserable  land,  because  here  the  bare  rock  rises  to  the 
surface,  and  there  lies  the  marshy  waste.  Notwithstanding 
rocks  and  marshes  innumerable,  we  know  that  this  Country 
is  the  most  productive  on  the  globe,  that  here  with  the 
soil  we  have  we  could  raise  food  sufficient  for  the 
inhabitants  of  the  World.  And  so  too  in  spite  of  the 
crimes  and  vices  that  are  as  scars  and  sores  on  the  body 
of  the  nation,  we  are  a  Christian  people  in  the  true  sense. 
God  has  not  left  himself  without  witness  amongst  us. 
There  are  ever  the  7,000  who  have  not  bowed  the  knee  to 
Baal.  A  deep  sense  of  right  moves  the  heart  of  the 
people.  One  of  the  most  healthy  signs  of  the  Times  is  a 
Nation's  righteous  indignation.  Woe  be  to  that  land  so 
sunken  in  idolatry  and  crime  that  it  has  no  heart  left. 
There  the  wicked  may  rule  without  let  or  hindrance.  But 
woe  be  to  the  wicked  when  their  conduct  rouses  a  nation's 


0  UR  GL  ORIO  US  FO  UR  Til.  187 

wrath.    Who  can  resist  the  national  sense  of  right?     There 
comes  a  moment  in  the  history  of  a  people,  that  is  sound 
at  heart,  when  it  rises  as  one  man  to  wipe  out  its  disgraces. 
Then  it  is  felt   to  be  true  that  the  voice  of  the  people  is 
the  voice  of  God.     We  seem  now  to  be  approaching  such 
a  moment,  and,   in  the  fact  that  there  is  a«deep  sense  of 
right,   we  perceive    an  evidence  that  we  are  a  Christian 
people.     Our  religious  observances  show  the  same  thing. 
The  Bible  is  held  in    reverence   by    the   nation.     It   has 
inspired    our  laws.     It  has  moulded  our  thoughts.     It  is 
the  leaven  of  our  Literature.     It  is  the  Book  on  which  we 
imprint  our  lips  as  we  swear  to  tell   the  truth,  the  whole 
truth  and  nothing  but  the  truth.     Its  poetry  we  employ 
for  praise.     It  is  the  companion  of  our  solitude.     It  is  our 
friend  in  affliction.     Neglected  as  it  may  be  in  the  midst 
of  our  active  life,  how  widely  is  it  prized  in  the  hour  of 
affliction   and   death  !     And    what   shall   we    say    of    the 
observance  of  the  Lord's  day'     True  and  sad  to  tell,  it  is 
trampled    under    foot    in    the   most   shameless    manner, 
nowhere  more  than  in  the  city  where  we  dwell.     But  why 
have  we  one  day  in  seven  for  rest  ?     Answer  that,  you  who 
are  clamoring  for  its  repeal.     Answer  me,  you  who  will 
not   guard  the  day  with  restrictions      Answer  me,  all  ye 
who   spend   it  in  dancing,    drinking,   gambling,   and   the 
thousand  other    devil-inspired    modes  of. its  observance? 
Do  we  owe  it  to  political  influence  ?     Do  we  owe  it  to  the 
superior  wisdom  of  men  ?     Nay,  it  is  God's  day — and  we 
have  this  day  for  rest,  because  the  Christian  people  have 
cherished   it   and   remembered   to    keep    it    holy.     It    is 


1 88  OUR  GLORIO US  FO UR TH. 

wonderful  when  we  think  of  it  that  notwithstanding  the 
wickedness  which  prevails  within  our  borders,  the  Sabbath 
is  observed  in  every  State,  and  by  millions  of  our 
population;  that  it  is  prized  not  only  for  its  rest  from 
labor,  but  also  for  its  spiritual  privileges;  and  that  it 
is  employed  so  extensively  for  training  the  young  and 
rising  generation  in  the  knowledge  and  service  of  God. 
With  our  American  Sabbath  as  it  is,  can  we  be  said  not  to 
be  a  Christian  nation?  Nor  would  we  forget  our 
Thanksgiving  observance-a  day  truly  used  by  many  for  evil 
purposes,  but  a  day  hallowed  in  the  hearts  of  the  people — 
a  day  handed  down  to  us  from  the  Pilgrim  fathers — a 
day  for  remembering  God  with  praise  for  the  bounties  with 
which  He  has  crowned  the  year.  And  in  recounting  the 
evidence  that  shows  we  are  a  Christian  nation,  I  am  not 
unmindful  of  our  educational  and  charitable  institutions 
— of  our  Homes  for  orphans,  our  Resting  Places  for 
wayfarers,  our  Asylums  for  the  afflicted  and  the  aged. 
*' Blessed  is  the  Nation  whose  God  is  the  Lord" — whose 
God  inspires  it  with  brotherly  love.  And  what  shall  we 
say  of  the  Charity  which  has  so  frequently  stretched  out 
its  arms  to  the  untold  numbers  suffering  from  famine, 
fire,  and  pestilence.  True  the  nations  have  again  and 
again  sent  offerings  for  the  relief  of  poor  and  starving  ones. 
Yes  ,the  world,  by  our  Chicago,  Boston,  St.  John  fires  and 
on  account  of  devastations  by  storm  and  drought,  has  been 
moved  by  an  electric  sympathy  towards  these  towns  and 
territories  in  their  waste  and  ruin.  Yes,  thanks  to  God 
Almighty  for  such  grand  out-bursts  of  heart !     But  how 


0  UR  GL ORIO  US  FO  UR  TH.  1 89 

describe  the  benevolence  prompting  our  own  people 
everywhere  to  sublime  sacrifices  of  money,  of  property 
and  in  actual  service.  Where  such  charity  or  rather 
love  reigns  Christianity  is  not  dead.  It  is  not  even 
asleep.  America  has  also  been  a  Missionary  nation. 
From  all  our  Churches  ministers  have  gone  forth  to  win 
souls  to  Christ.  They  have  scattered  the  Bible  and  its 
magnificent  literature  throughout  all  lands.  With  the 
national  Standard — with  the  Stars  and  Stripes — they  have 
not  failed  to  plant  the  banner  of  the  Cross — everywhere — 
amid  Lapland  snows  as  well  as  the  most  favored  and 
cultivated  spots  of  the  earth. 

My  brethren,  we  all  love  the  glorious  Fourth.  While 
warning  against  the  careless  use  of  fire  and  against  mere 
frolic,  yet  we  feel  as  boys  and  girls  when  the  Day 
comes  round.  We  go  in  for  a  good  time.  We  love  to 
spend  the  day  with  the  children.  It  is  our  delight^to 
fire  crackers,  to  send  rockets  into  the  skies,  to  have  a 
jolly  time  around  the  family  board,  with  friends  dropping 
in  without  ceremony.  It  is  a  day  for  right  royal  welcome 
to  the  best  we  have.  The  National  flag  floating  every- 
where in  the  breeze  rouses  the  patriotic  spirit  within  our 
breasts.  God  forbid  we  should  ever  have  another  war, 
either  amongst  ourselves,  or  with  other  people.  But 
every  time  the  Fourth  comes  it  rouses  the  National 
enthusiasm  and  makes  us  rise  to  heroic  feelings  the 
moment  an  enemy  stepping  upon  our  shores  is  spoken  of. 
Who  would  not  sacrifice  life  and  limb  to  protect  our  soil, 
our  homes,  every  shred  of  our  civilization?    What  an  army 


igo  OUR  GLORIOUS  FOURTH. 

of  dear  young  people  who  love  their  country  well  and 
would  not  grudge  to  give  their  lives  at  any  moment  to 
save  her  honor.  Think  of  these  Christian  Endeavorers 
gathered  in  Boston — of  their  spirit,  of  their  pluck.  Think 
of  "the  New  Woman"  brave  and  Godly  as  seen  in  these  hosts 
of  blooming  beautiful  girls  !  Think  what  war  would 
mean  with  these  young,  pure,  courageous  hearts  enthused 
with  words  like  these,  **Am  I  a  Soldier  of  the  Cross  ?" 
^'  All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus  name  ?  "  ''  My  faith  looks 
up  to  Thee."  Their  march  forward  would  be  the  tread 
of  faith.  Their  fighting  would  be  done  with  the  Sword 
of  the  Spirit.  Their  feet  would  be  shod  with  the  gospel  of 
peace.  Yes,  let  righteous  war  come  and  we  feel  the  bone 
and  sinew  are  ready.  Courageous  hearts  would  be  up  and 
domg.  But  we  are  rather  thinking  of  Spiritual  war  and 
strife.  **  Righteousness  exalteth  a  nation."  Let  the 
American  people  look  their  dangers  in  the  face.  Let 
them  think  of  temptation  in  the  light  of  the  prodigious 
v^ealth  God  has  given  them.  Let  them  remember  our 
warfare  with  Satan  and  sin  must  lie  in  the  line  of  Church 
and  Sunday  School  work.  May  we  ever  be  brave  to  do 
our  work — to  look  duty  in  the  face — to  go  forward  with 
one  thought  of  honoring  King  Jesus  and  thus  securing 
lasting  benefits  for  our  beloved  land. 


My  native  Country,  thee 
Land  of  the  noble  free, 

Thy  name  I  love  ; 
I  love  thy  rocks  and  rills, 
Thy  woods  and  templed  hills, 
My  heart  with  rapture  thrills. 

Like  that  above. 

Let  music  swell  the  breeze, 
And  ring  from  all  the  trees 

Sweet  freedom's  song  ; 
Let  mortal  tongues  awake. 
Let  all  that  breathe  partake. 
Let  rocks  their  silence  break, 

The  sound  prolong. 

Our  fathers'  God,  to  Thee, 
Author  of  liberty, 

To  Thee  we  sing  ; 
Long  may  our  land  be  bright, 
With  freedom's  holy  light, 
Protect  us  by  Thy  might, 

Great  God,  our  King  ! 


Rest  for  the  toiling  hand, 
Rest  for  the  anxious  brow, 

Rest  for  the  weary,  way-sore  feet, 
Rest  from  all  labor  now. 


SATURDAY  HALF  HOLIDAY. 
SERMON  XHL 

And    that    day    was    the  preparation,  and   the    Sabbath 
drew  on. — LUKE  xxiii.   54. 

This  verse  relates  an  interesting  incident.  The 
day  on  which  the  crucifixion  of  Christ  took  place 
was  that  immediately  preceding  the  Sabbath.  It  was 
Friday.  The  Jews  held  this  as  a  time  of  preparation 
for  the  Sabbath.  This  custom  had  been  handed  down 
from  antiquity.  Jehovah  so  hallowed  the  day  of  rest 
and  worship  that,  when  the  Children  of  Israel  were 
miraculously  fed  with  manna  in  the  wilderness,  they  were 
commanded  and  enabled  to  gather  a  double  portion  on 
the  preceding  day,  to  have  sufficient  to  carry  them  over 
the  Sabbath.  As  the  Passover  took  place  in  the  year  of 
the  death  of  Messiah  on  the  day  preceding  the  Sabbath, 
there  were  on  this  account  special  duties  to  be  perform- 
ed, making  the  preparation  of  more  than  ordinary 
importance.  We  conjecture  that,  besides  doing  what 
was  requisite  for  the  due  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  the 
Jews  prepared  their  victuals,  and  attended  to  everything 
necessary  to  enable  them  to  observe  the  Seventh  Day 
without    labor   or  interruption.     This    was    evidently  a 


194  SA  TURD  A  V  HALF  HO  LI  DA  Y. 

wise  and  necessary  provision;  else  many  of  the  things 
required  to  be  done  on  the  Friday,  to  secure  the  proper 
remembrance  of  the  Sabbath,  must  needs  be  transferred 
to  the  Sacred  Day  itself,  and  thus  sadly  mar  its  religious 
exercises.  . 

Having  discussed  elsewhere  the  question  of  the 
change  of  the  weekly  period  of  rest  and  worship  from 
the  seventh  to  the  first  day,  we  at  once  see  it  to  be 
expedient  and  proper  for  us  to  devote  the  spare  time  at 
our  command,  on  the  day  preceding  the  Lord's  day,  in 
attending  to  a  variety  of  duties  and  thus  make  sure  of 
our  Sabbath  being  unaccompanied  with  toil  and  care. 
This  would  imply  the  vast  multitude  of  workers  being 
set  free  from" labor  on  Saturday  at  an  early  hour.  Were 
we  to  realize  the  particular  ends  for  which  the  one  day 
in  seven  is  given,  it  would  be  felt  by  us  to  be  of  para- 
mount importance  to  do  everything  in  our  power  to  make 
it  a  period  of  repose  and  give  due  heed  to  that  public 
worship  which  is  enjoined.  It  may  seem  to  be  impracti- 
cable, finding  it  hard  as  it  is  to  set  apart  twen4:y-four 
hours  in  the  week,  to  make  further  demands  upon  the 
time  of  the  workers.  To  enjoy,  however,  the  ideal 
Sabbath  it  would  be  necessary  to  have  a  part  of  Saturday 
to  ourselves.  For  one  thing  much  could  be  done  to 
save  work  on  Sunday.  We  could  provide  our  food,  have 
wood  and  coal  at  hand  to  light  the  fire,  and  a  good  deal 
might  be  done  to  reduce  cooking  to  as  small  an  item  as 
possible.  Requisite  purchases,  might  be  made  so  as 
not  to  infringe  unduly  upon  the  time  of    stores.      "The 


SA  TURD  A  V  HALF  HO  LI  DA  V.  195 

Cottar's  Saturday  Night"  is  one  of  the  best  productions 
of  Robert  Burns,  not    merely    because    of  the  beauty  of 
its   expression,  but  for   the    reason    that   it   describes  a 
reality.     The   work    of   the   week  is   done,  and  nothing 
except   what  is    required  is    left    for  the  morrow.     The 
cows  have  been  milked.     All  the  animals  are  fed.     The 
cheerful  supper   is  spread.     The    farmer — proud  man — 
takes   his   accustomed    seat.     His  wife  has   tinished  her 
task    of   cooking.     The  table    is   all   laid.     Around  the 
board     there    are    the    children,    ranging    from     young 
womanhood  down  to    the    lads  and  lassies  in    or  not  yet 
in  their  teens.    There  is — I  am  certain — the  bright  babe 
on    the  mother's    lap.     A  young   lad    is    noticed  there, 
whose   big   and    bashful    glances   towards    the    modest 
daughter,  utter   volumes  of  meaning  in  regard  to    her 
future  career.     The  father  reverently    bows  his   head — 
all  doing  likewise — while  he  utters    heartfelt   gratitude 
to    the    Heavenly    Father   for    granting   him  and  his  so 
much  store,  and  blessing  them  with  the  food  spread    on 
their  board.     The  meal  is,  amidst  much  fun  and  laughter, 
brought  to  a  close.     But  all  is  not  ended  yet.     For   the 
husbandman,  the    priest   of   his   family  as  every  father 
ought   to   be,  brings   out   the    big  Ha'  (hall)    Bible  and 
after  chanting  the  praise  of  God, 

"  He  wails  a  portion  with  judicious  care.  " 

The  passage  chosen  is  one  concerning  some  of  the  heroes 
of  Scripture.  He  reads  it  solemnly.  His  manner  is  that 
of  reverence.     Then  they  all  bend  their  knees,  and  the 


196  SA  TURD  A  Y  HALF  HO  LI  DA  Y. 

priest-like  father  pours  out  his  soul  in  earnest  prayer  to 
the  Almighty.  That  prayer  is  couched  in  no  false 
words.  It  is  genuine  as  the  air,  pure  as  the  crystal  fount,, 
true  as  gold.  When  they  have  risen,  what  a  sweet  pathos 
is  seen  in  their  well  contented  happy  faces!  The  young 
lad,  scarcely  looking  to  the  lassie  before  them  all 
yet  heartily  made  welcome,  bids  them  good  bye;  but  as 
a  sort  of  accident  is  followed  by  the  maiden  coy,  and 
doubtless  something  passes  betwem  them  as  pledge  of 
mutual  love.     No  wonder  the  poet  exclaims, 

"  From  scenes  like  these  old  Scotia's  grandeur  springs. 
That  makes  her  loved  at  home,  revered  abroad. 

Princes  and  lords  are  but  the  breath  of  kings, 
An  honest  man's  the  noblest  work  of  God.'' 

They  retire  early,  and  oh  how  deep  the  repose  of  that 
family — uninterrupted  save  by  the  dream  of  being  in 
church  and  awaking  its  echoes  with  melodious  praise*^ 
We  could  describe  many  a  scene  similar  to  this  taking 
place  in  our  cities  too.  In  the  course  of  my  ministry  I 
have  known  many  an  artisan  whose  one  thought,  after 
faithful  attention  to  work,  was  of  his  family.  There  is 
the  house  in  the  crowded  tenement — it  may  be — neat, 
tidy — a  palace  indeed  to  him  and  his.  It  is  the  custom 
of  the  employers  whom  he  serves  to  let  their  men  go 
free  at  two  in  the  afternoon.  He  walks  home,  and  on 
the  way  his  eye  falls  upon  a  top  with  string  and  he  buys 
it  for  little  Johnnie,  with  other  things  in  the  line  of  food 
and  clothing  he  brings  with  him.     He  is  received  with 


SA  TURDA  Y  HALF  HOLIDA  Y.  197 

loving  kiss,  not  only  from  his  young  and  lovely  wife,  but 
from  the  circle  round.  The  purchases  for  the  morrow 
are  made  at  an  early  hour.  Then  comes  the  family 
meal.  He  may  not  be  rich,  but  there  is  wealth  of  love 
on  that  table.  What  merriment  as  the  wife  hands  round 
dainties  made  by  her  skillful  hands!  Then  what  a  night 
is  that  of  Saturday  in  a  proper  working-man's  home! 
There  is  nothing  but  fun  with  the  children  till  sleep 
gently  closes  their  eye-lids.  The  father  is  employed  in 
some  task — elaborating  an  invention  of  his  ow^n.  How 
he  deftly  deals  blow  on  blow  upon  the  iron!  How 
patiently  he  works  out  his  thought!  And  all  the  time 
the  mother  is  carefully  ironing  tiny  clothes,  and  sewing 
garments,  and  scrubbing  floor,  and  shining  stove,  and 
thinking  of  the  calm  of  the  morrow.  When  they  too 
close  the  day  with  worship,  have  they  not  made  fitting 
preparation  for  the  Lord's  day  and  for  Church  and 
Sunday  School?     Yes!  indeed,  it  is  beautiful. 

But  I  am  thinking  at  this  moment  of  another  scene 
witnessed  by  me.  Called  on  Saturday  night  to  a  home 
made  sad  by  sickness,  I  spent  some  time  with  them,  and 
as  it  was  drawing  near  mid-night  my  thought  was  to 
gather  them  around  me  for  prayer.  But  where  was  the 
the  head  of  the  house  ?  Not  yet  returned.  How  could 
that  be  ?  Oh,  his  wife  replied,  "  He  works  in  a  dry-good's 
store  and  it  does  not  close  till  midnight,  or  even  later.  " 
And  where  is  Tom  ?  I  ask,  '*He  is  with  a  grocer  who 
keeps  open  as  long  as  he  can.  Tommie  never  gets  home 
till  one  in  the  morning."    '*0h,  how  sorry  I  am  for  him!" 


iqS  sa  turd  a  y  half  ho  lid  a  y. 

I  cry  in  distress,  "but  where  is  Jeannie,  ?"  "Oh!  you 
know,  Jeannie,  is  a  dressmaker,  and  she  is  sewing  hard 
in  the  other  room  to  have  a  e;own  ready  in  the  morning 
for  a  grand  lady  who  must  have  it  for  Church.  "  "Why 
is  it  possible,  "  I  ask,  "that  the  lady  you  refer  to  would 
keep  your  young  daughter  slaving  at  this  rate?"  There 
they  are,  these  suffering  ones.  For  them  no  half  holiday, 
not  even  "letting  up"  at  ten  o'clock!  But  they  must  toily 
TOIL,  TOIL,  making  two  days  really  of  Saturday.  And 
when  one  thinks  it  is  not  much  better  with  the  rest  of 
the  week,  the  wonder  is  how  that  sterling  man  heading 
his  fam  ly  can  be  in  his  pew  so  punctually  every  Lord's 
day.  His  absence  would  create  alarm  in  me.  And  yet 
these  are  two  or  three  individuals  taken  at  random  out  of 
the  laboring  millions,  for  whom  there  is  no  refreshing 
holiday,  for  whom  there  is  not  a  ray  of  light,  or  the  least 
cheer.  But  it  is  work^  work,  WORK,  not  only  all  day 
long  on  Saturday,  but  through  the  week — life  is  nothing 
but  slavery.  There  is  something  fearful  in  the  thought — 
the  difference  between  the  wealthy  and  leisurely,  whose 
time  is  their  own,  rolling  in  their  splendid  equipages, 
seated  in  their  divan  chairs  or  luxurious  sofas,  their  walls 
dazzling  with  pictures,  and  rooms  filled  with  costly 
ornaments,  their  floors  luxurious  with  rich  carpets.  What 
beds  to  lie  in  !  What  meals  to  partake  of  1  !  What  clothes 
to  wear  !  ! !  And  turn  down  another  street  a  little  farther 
east  or  west,  and  can  it  be  ?  These  tenement  houses 
crushed  and  crammed!  They  are  built  tier  on  tier  up  into 
the  skies.     There  are   houses   to   the   rear — a  crowd   of 


SA  TURD  A  Y  HALF  HOLIDA  K.  199 

suffering  humanity.  Here  are  toilers  indeed — the  mass 
coming  to  these  squalid  houses  later  and  later  as  the  week 
goes  on,  until  the  end  of  the  week  when  it  is  a  sad,  long 
unbroken  day — a  day  of  toil  and  anguish.  And  think  of 
the  fevers,  pestilences,  whooping-coughs,  measles,  going 
on  all  the  time.  No  wonder  that  floor  is  dirty,  that 
room  filthy,  the  walls  black  and  slimy.  There  is  no  half 
holiday  for  them.  In  such  places  there  is  no  thought  of 
Sabbath.  Not  one  in  10,000  goes  to  church.  The  Sunday 
comes,  and  then  there  is  the  debauch  continued  from 
Saturday  night.  Crowds  flock  from  such  misery  to  steam- 
boats and  railroads  on  Sunday.  The  taverns  are  doing  their 
biggest  business.  There  is  nothing  but  wretchedness  and 
despair.  What  of  the  children — dirty,  ragged,  bare-footed 
even  in  winter?  How  can  we  get  such  people  to  Church? 
How  have  these  young  ones  to  Sunday  School  ?  No.  In 
the  wretched  round  of  labor,  and  drunkenness,  and  sickness, 
the  thing  is  almost  impossible. 

Now,  let  us  say  here  we  go  in  heartily  for  a  Saturday 
half-holiday  being  well  established  in  behalf  of  all  these 
classes.  With  regard  to  the  mass  of  laboring  men  and 
women  there  is  many  a  problem  to  be  solved  before  this 
ideal  can  be  reached.  How  to  attack  the  fort  of  darkness 
and  sin  is  the  question.  We  feel  that  much  good  to  this 
end  could  be  done  were  all  thoughtful  men  and  women 
giving  themselves  to  the  task  of  alleviating  the  suffering 
condition  of  the  masses.  The  work  must  begin  with  an 
attempt  to  regulate  the  house-accommodations  of  the 
people.     It  is  obvious  that  the  multitude  are  too  closely 


200  SA  TURD  A  Y  HALF  HO  LI  DA  V. 

huddled  together.  They  have  to  be  scattered  in  some 
way.  Houses  not  overcrowded  would  be  one  important 
step  gained.  Then  there  should  be  some  way  of  educating 
the  people.  Not  only  must  the  air  and  light  and  water  be 
let  into  these  congested  tenements,  but  there  must  be  a 
path  opened  for  them  to  acquire  knowledge  of  themselves, 
of  the  laws  of  nature,  of  what  will  contribute  to  mental 
and  moral  improvement.  We  do  not  believe  much  can 
be  done  without  religion  being  taught  and  impressed  upon 
them.  How  to  reach  this  is  the  difficulty  before  us.  What 
could  be  done  in  restraining  intemperance,  the  certain 
cause  of  so  much  harm?  What  could  be  accomplished  by 
missionaries  being  sent  in  their  midst  to  instruct,  to  turn 
away  the  obstacles  of  ignorance,  prejudice  and  evil  habits? 
What  might  now  be  gained  by  well  equipped  nurses  going 
to  hovels  where  sickness,  poverty  and  wretchedness 
abound?  What  might  result  from  our  noble  women  taking 
in  hand  the  task  of  giving  friendly  aid  to  the  needy?  How 
to  get  the  children  and  young  men  and  women  to  Sunday 
School?  How  to  bring  these  crowds  under  the  influences 
of  the  Gospel?  All  these  and  many  others  are  matters 
demanding  earnest  study  on  the  part  of  true  patriots. 
The  policy  of  letting  well — or  rather  ill — alone  has  been 
too  long  followed.  There  must  be  inroads  by  Christian 
agencies  upon  such  dens.  The  line  of  separation  between 
the  Churches  and  people  must  be  done  away  with.  If 
Christians  could  be  set  to  work,  not  to  talk,  but  to  do 
something  in  the  way  of  genuine,  discriminating  benevo- 
lence, we  might  begin  to  feel  some  confidence  as  to  the 


SA  TURD  A  Y  HALF  HO  LI  DA  V.  aoi 

removal  of  obstacles  in  the  way.  For  one  thing,  it  is 
certain  that  the  masses  must  be  taken  hold  of,  improved, 
encouraged,  elevated.  They  must  be  lifted  up  to  the 
point  of  doing  for  themselves.  Meanwhile,  granted  that 
a  Saturday  half-holiday  for  the  mass  of  toilers  is  far  from 
reached,  yet  could  there  not  be  something  done  to 
shorten  hours  of  labor?  To  cease  work  at  nine  or  even 
ten  o'clock  would  be  felt  to  be  a  great  result.  No  matter 
how  little  the  relief  at  first,  there  would  be  something 
gained.  It  is  evident  the  evil  piesses  upon  us  now.  Clear 
it  is  that  it  is  growing  as  the  years  pass.  It  must  be 
manifest  that  the  chronic  condition  of  the  poor  is 
becoming  more  intense.  There  is  danger  to  society  itself 
from  all  this.  We  know  not  when  the  hidden  fires  will 
burst  into  flames.  The  terrible  pressure  has  to  be 
lessened,  or  there  will  be  eruptions  from  which  we  all 
must  suffer.  For  our  part  there  is  the  evil.  It  must  be 
dealt  with.  If  not,  we  are  in  danger  of  going  back  to  a 
state  worse  than  any  we  have  on  record.  There  is  the 
awful  thought  pressing  upon  us  that  the  time  is  coming — 
if  it  has  not  yet  appeared — when  we  must  sink  back  in 
despair  from  the  task  of  reform,  and  let  the  mischief 
magnify  itself  beyond  relief  or  remedy.  There  are 
questions  underlying  which  ought  to  receive  attention 
from  our  municipal  governments,  from  our  State  legisla- 
tures, from  Congress! 

With  regard  to  the  large  class  of  skilled  workers  the 
remedy  against  prolonged  toil  is  in  their  own  hands — 
aided  by  public  sentiment,    by   philanthropists,   by   the 


202  SA  TURD  A  V  HALF  HOLIDA  V. 

press.  How  much  indeed  has  been  gained  in  the  past, 
till  now  in  many  fields  of  work,  the  Saturday  half-holiday 
has  become  an  accomplished  fact.  Many  businesses, 
particularly  wholesale,  have  greatly  shortened  their 
hours.  Law  offices  and  banks  close  early  on  Saturday. 
In  Great  Britian  this  matter  has  long  since  taken  positive 
shape.  The  period  of  work  during  the  week  is  curtailed. 
The  half-holiday  on  Saturday  is  largely  secured.  We  are  far 
from  having — strictly  speaking — the  half-holiday.  Many 
who  are  enjoying  a  respite  have  still  to  labor  far  in  the 
afternoon.  We  want  to  see  the  working-classes  free 
from  their  tasks  at  an  early  hour. 

Were  this  universal,  what  a  time  there  would  be  for 
recreation!  In  the  summer,  well  regulated  excursions 
both  on  water  and  land  could  be  enjoyed.  There  would 
be  freedom  to  engage  in  many  of  our  popular  games — 
base  ball,  tennis,  croquet,  and  all  the  re>t.  Now  that  the 
bicycle  has  come  to  stay,  what  nice,  pleasant  journeys 
could  be  had  to  distant  places — imparting  the  glow  of 
health  to  the  cheek  of  youth,  giving  muscular  strength 
to  the  man  and  woman  escaped  from  work.  Our  children 
have  such  leisure  in  abundance,  but  what  delightful 
recreation  their  parents  might  have  in  their  company! 
In  winter  there  might  be  out-door  sport  on  the  ice — 
skaters  meteor-like  glancing  along  the  frozen  surfaces  of 
rivers  and  lakes — curlers  shooting  their  stones  with 
unerring  eye  towards  the  goal.  What  opportunity  for 
repairing  to  the  public  library  which  should  be  open  for 
the  purpose,  to  the  reading-room,  or  to  the  quiet  nook 


SA  TURD  A  Y  HALF  HO  LID  A  Y.  205 

at  home  where  the  treasures  of  literature  can  be  readi 
The  ways  and  methods  of  genuine  enjoyment  cannot  be 
numbered.  And  our  workers  would  be  all  the  better  for 
it  at  their  tasks.  We  do  not  believe  business  would 
suffer,  but  rather  the  reverse.  The  experiment  on  a  large 
scale  is  certainly  worth  while  trying. 

And,  then,  we  would  have  the  desired  result.  The 
Sabbath  observed  as  it  is  set  before  us  in  the  Bible — the 
Lord's  day  not  a  holiday,  but  a  holy  day  for  worship  and 
instruction — the  Sabbath  School  not  doing  limited  work 
as  at  present,  but  becoming  a  national  institution.  There 
would  be  time  for  friendly  intercourse.  The  country 
would  be  at  its  best.  We  are  so  attracted  to  this  side  of 
the  matter,  that  we  shudder  at  what  we  read  in  our 
papers — of  steamboats,  of  railways,  of  saloons  crowded. 
What  is  to  be  our  gain  from  turning  the  sacred  day  into 
one  of  pleasure,  we  fail  to  see.  It  is  secularizmg  the 
Lord's  day.  It  is  turning  it  away  from  its  purpose — 
from  the  design  God  had  in  appointing  it.  What  does 
this  bicycle-mania  in  God's  hours  signify?  Do  we 
imagine  we  can  retain  the  day  in  its  integrity  and  thus 
turn  it  to  glaring  enjoyment?  No,  Let  us  keep  to  the 
good  old  ways  which  our  fathers  trod,  and  seek  rest  from 
toil,  and  repair  to  God's  House  for  refreshment,  and  we 
have  taken  a  step  in  advance  towards  reaching  a  high 
point  of  civilization. 


*'  Thy  mercy  heard  my  infant  prayer, 
Thy  love,  with  all  a  mother's  care, 

Sustained  my  childish  days  ; 
Thy  goodness  watched  my  ripening  youth, 
And  formed  my  heart  to  love  thy  truth, 

And  filled  my  lips  with  praise." 


LEARNING  BY  EXPERIENCE. 
SERMON  XIV. 

/  have  learned  by  experiehce . — GEN.  xxx,   27. 

There  is  nothing  more  obvious  than  the  actual  difference 
between  the  knowledge  gained  by  learning,  and  the 
knowledge  resulting  from  experience.  Laban  may  have 
known  a  good  deal  concerning  the  blessing  of  the  Lord^ 
but  was  this  knowledge  worth  anything  until  he  was  made 
to  see  and  feel  what  it  was  to  be  blessed  of  God  for  the 
sake  of  Jacob  his  guest?  We  find  in  regard  to  all  matters 
of  interest  that  there  are  two  sorts  of  knowledge — the  one 
acquired  from  study,  the  other  from  experience.  It  is  felt 
at  once  that  the  first  is  speculative,  it  lies  in  the  mind,  and 
is  difficult  of  application.  The  second  arises  from  turning 
science  into  art.  I  may  have  profound  wisdom  regarding 
engineering,  be  able  to  draw  the  bridge  or  machine  on 
paper,  be  deeply  read  in  regard  to  the  principles  concerned, 
but  only  a  child  in  the  matter  of  spanning  the  river  as  a 
high-way  of  travel.  I  may  understand  all  about  the  con- 
struction of  an  engine,  and  yet  be  unable  to  plan,  and 
make  the  parts,  and  join  them  as  one.  What  more  obvious 
than  the  information  we  may  acquire  at  college  in  reference 
to  chemistry,  and  our  inability   to  analyze  substances   and 


2o6  LEARNING  BY  EXPERIENCE, 

resolve  them  into  their  constituent  parts.  Is  it  not  equally 
clear  that  I  may  be  deeply  read  about  electricity,  be  able 
from  attainments  to  admire  the  mysterious  and  hidden 
force,  and  have  wonderful  conceptions  concerning  the 
lightning  that  flashes  from  the  clouds,  and  lays  prostrate 
before  it  man  and  beast,  or  pulverizes  huge  rocks,  or  rends 
the  mountain's  side  ;  yet  I  might  not  be  able  to  run  an 
electric  car,  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  control  the  wonder- 
ful current  so  as  to  light  up  the  palatial  building  at  a 
thousand  points,  or  to  propel  the  ship  at  sea.  It  is  a  sure 
thing,  the  difference  between  speculative  and  practical 
knowledge,  the  distinction  between  science  and  art,  the 
possibility  of  taking  medals  and  high  prizes  at  college,  and 
yet  being  verily  a  child  in  ordinary,  every  day  business. 
We  are  to  enquire  this  morning  whether,  as  regards  relig- 
ion, one  may  not  have  learned  its  science,  whether  I  may 
not  be  a  profound  theologian,  acquainted  with  the  Bible, 
learned  in  its  histories,  know  the  creeds,  yet  wanting  in 
the  knowledge  of  those  things  to  be  gained  by  actual 
experience.  Is  there  not  a  very  deep  and  useful  lesson  to 
be  taught  by  such  considerations  ? 

I.  Let  me  speak,  first  of  all,  of  what  is  meant  by  learn- 
ing religion  by  experience.  We  may  have  a  practical 
knowledge  of  Christianity  without  much  or  in  truth  any  of 
that  which  is  gained  from  the  study  of  books,  or  listen- 
ing to  the  instructions  of  competent  teachers.  We  may 
be  Christians  without  being  scholars  and  mastering  the 
Bible,  or  the  Catechism,  or  the  mass  of  theological  works. 
It  is  a  comfort  to  know  we  are  really  followers  of  the  Lord 


LEARNING  B  V  EXPERIENCE.  207 

Jesus.     The  first  thing  is  our  conversion.     It  may  happen 
we  know   little   of   Biblical   truth,  and   Jesus  comes  to  us 
with  one   or   more  of   His   precious  invitations.     A  single 
verse  like,  "He  that  believeth   in  me    hath  eternal  life," 
may  suffice  to  save  from  sin  and  death.     How  often  has  it 
occurred  that  one  may  be  turned  from  wrath  by  the  singing 
of  a   gospel    hymn,  such   as,  '*  Jesus  lover  of  my  soul,"  or 
''Just  as  I  am  without  one  plea."     Nay,  we  may  not  even 
have    heard   so  much,   but   we   may   have   been   blessed 
by   listening   to    the    learned    words   of   some    preacher; 
perhaps  the  sermon  treated   such  a  text  as,  "  Abide  in  me, 
and  I  in   you,  as  the    branch    cannot   bear   fruit  of  itself, 
except  it   abide    in  the   vine,  no  more    can   ye,  except   ye 
abide   in    me."     The   preacher   presented    before    me  the 
original  condition  in  which    I  was    found,  and  urged   with 
such  intensity  of  purpose  the  necessity  of  my   connection 
with    Christ,  as  a   branch    is  joined  with    the  vine,  that  I 
have  yielded  my  heart  to  the  Saviour   and    found  peace  in 
Him.     It  is  possible  for  the  Redeemer  to  place  himself  so 
vividly   before   the  sinner,  even   without  writteti  word  or 
powerful  speech— that  He  becomes  to  me  the  living  Christ, 
the  bearer  of  my  sin.     What  an  inspiration    it  is  to-  think 
that  a  Christian  may  become  such  a  clear  exposition  to  me 
of  the  soul  being  saved  through,  faith  in  the  great  sacrifice, 
that  I  am  led  to  yield  my  heart  to  the  blessed  Son  of  God! 
It  is  possible  for   a  man   to  be  rescued   from   perishing  at 
the  last  moment  before  yielding   up  his  soul,  and  with  but 
little    effective   instruction.     There   is  the   soldier   struck 
down  in  battle.     His  wounds  are  fatal.     He  has  but  a  few 


2o8  LEARNING  B  V  EXPERIENCE. 

moments  to  live.  But  there  comes  into  his  soul  the 
memory  of  a  mother's  example.  He  sees  her  as  he  was 
wont  in  other  days  bent  down  in  prayer.  Some  few  words- 
are  recalled.  Although  long  since  dead,  he  hears  her  say^ 
"I  am  safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus."  He  knows  but  little. 
The  name  of  Jesus  comes  sweetly  to  his  ear,  and  all  he  is 
able  to  say  is,  '*  Lord,  have  mercy  on  me."  From  the 
moment  the  words  pass  his  lips,  he  is  a  Christian.  It  may 
be  as  I  remember  to  have  occured  in  a  railroad  accident  of 
which  I  was  a  witness.  There  was  a  man  with  both  legs 
broken  through.  The  lower  part  of  each  limb  hung  only 
by  a  piece  of  skin.  The  blood  had  poured  from  his  body, 
He  was  quite  conscious,  and  I  remember  him  to  have  cried 
for  his  mother.  Who  knows  the  flood  of  saving  recollection 
that  flowed  from  his  heart  ?  There  are  many  men  and 
women  who  have  not  enjoyed  much  advantage  in  the  way 
of  Christian  instruction,  who  are  not  able  to  read  and 
write,  and  yet  Jesus  has  come  to  them  by  His  Spirit. 
They  see  Christ  the  living  Saviour.  They  cry,  *' Lord  be 
merciful."  In  that  moment  there  comes  into  the  soul  a 
deep  sense  of  God's  pardoning  love.  They  give  their 
heart  to  Jesus.  They  know  how  to  commune  with  Him. 
They  lean  upon  their  beloved.  Their  prayer  is  real.  They 
come  to  a  knowledge  of  what  the  Lord  can  do  for  them. 
The  offer  of  salvation  is  accepted.  Henceforth  they  yield 
their  hearts  to  the  beloved  Messiah.  They  walk  with  Him. 
The  consciousness  arises  of  Christ  being  with  them.  They 
may  not  know  the  contents  of  the  Pentatuch,  or  the  Psalms,, 
or  the  Prophets,  and  yet  they  know  Christ.     Nor  can  tney 


LEARN  IN  G  BY  EXPERIENCE,  209 

repeat  the  commandments,  yet  they  are  within  the  blessed 
arms  of  the  Great  Physician.  Such  may  have  never  heard  of 
any  one  of  the  creeds,  and  yet  there  is  the  assurance  within 
their  breasts  of  a  loving,  pardoning  God.  It  is  evident 
many  are  lacking  spiritual  knowledge,  and  yet  they  know 
the  Saviour.  We  may  feel  assured  of  there  being  many 
persons  suffering  from  want  of  early  training,  who  never 
can  acquire  much  information  concerning  the  history  and 
development  of  God's  people,  and  still  their  walk  and 
conversation  are  right.  How  comforting  to  feel  oneself 
in  the  clefts  of  the  great  Rock  that  is  higher  than  we  are, 
though  unable  to  narrate  correctly  the  events  recorded 
by  the  Evangelists.  We  have  seen  many  sweet  examples 
of  Christians  even  in  childhood.  There  is  something  in 
the  young  and  tender  heart  responsive  to  the  Christian 
influences  around,  and  the  babe  learns  to  whisper  softly 
the  dear  Name.  Oh  how  beautiful  is  religion  in  the  young 
lad  or  girl  who  has  not  as  yet  acquired  much  knowledge  of 
Scripture !  It  should  stir  the  heart  of  every  parent  to 
think  how  greatly  he  may  influence  his  child  to  close  with 
Christ's  importunate  invitations  simply  by  means  of  his 
own  example.  Let  your  'household  see  you  are  a  man  or 
woman  of  prayer,  that  you  are  one  who  delights  in  com- 
munion with  God,  though  you  have  not  had  much  chance 
of  acquiring  the  learning  of  the  schools,  and  you  may  have 
reason  to  shout  for  joy  at  beholding  the  beautiful  spectacle 
of  y^ur  family  coming  one  and  another  to  Christ  long 
before  they  could  attend  to  knowledge  of  books.  Is  it 
not  an  assuring  thought  to  those  who  make  it  their  business 


210  LEARNING  B  V  EXPERIENCE. 

to  preach  Christ  to  others — they  may  succeed  in  bringing 
even  the  drunkard,  or  profane,  or  worlding  to  the  Lord, 
without  being  able  to  state  in  carefully  worded  proposi- 
tions what  faith  in  Christ  means.  They  may  learn  to  pray 
before  they  can  say  the  Lord's  prayer.  They  may  utter 
praise  in  crudest  manner  before  any  of  the  hymns  are 
familiar  to  the  mind.  Let  us  then  take  courage  and 
present  Christ  in  the  first  instance.  Let  us  think  of  a  man 
knowing  by  experience  the  love  of  God  which  passeth  all 
knowledge.  Let  us  remember  that  a  single  word  may  be 
a  revelation,  that  immediately  on  hearing  the  Gospel 
message,  "Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  a  man,  aye 
and  his  entire  household,  may  be  delivered  from  bondage. 
IL  Let  me,  secondly,  speak  a  warning  not  on  this 
account  to  think  meanly  of  theoretical  knowledge.  Every- 
thing has  its  place.  While  rejoicing  in  the  assurance  of 
one  being  saved  and  learning  much  by  experience  without 
culture,  yet  there  is  great  advantage  in  being  learned  in 
the  Scriptures.  It  is  possible  to  be  a  professor  of 
theology  and  not  be  a  Christian.  One  might  have  the 
Bible  by  heart  and  yet  not  be  a  follower  of  Jesus.  This 
is  so  obviously  true  we  need  not  dwell  on  it.  But  it  does 
not  follow  there  is  no  good  in  theological  attainments. 
We  should  set  a  child  at  earliest  moment  to  acquire  a 
fair  and  useful  knowledge  of  the  Bible.  Here  we  have 
indeed  a  beautiful  science.  The  Scriptures  are  simply 
wonderful  in  themselves.  I  do  not  know  a  more  interesting 
book.  Think  of  the  personages  which  come  before  us.. 
Adam,  Abel,  Seth,   Abraham,   Rebekah,  Joseph,  Moses^ 


LEARNING  B  Y  EXPERIENCE.  2 1  i 

Miriam,  Joshua,  Ruth,  David,  Solomon,  the  host  of 
prophets.  It  is  a  never  failing  and  ever  absorbing  story 
— the  revelation  of  God  to  his  creatures.  Remember  the 
countries,  the  rivers,  the  lakes,  the  mountains— in  a 
word,  the  scenery  of  the  Bible.  To  how  many  valuable 
works  has  this  given  rise  !  Just  recall  the  endless 
dictionaries,  geographies,  histories,  which  are  to  be 
studied  in  order  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  Bible. 
Away  from  the  saving  character  of  the  Scriptures,  think 
of  the  admirable  contents  in  the  shape  of  interesting 
human  events,  incidents  most  suggestive,  providences 
leading  men  onwards  and  upwards.  What  remarkable 
literature  there  is  in  the  word  of  God  I  There  is  nothing 
outside  of  it  to  equal  the  writings  of  Moses.  What  a  gem 
is  the  book  of  Ruth  !  How  instructive  the  histories  of 
Israel's  people,  of  their  journeyings,  of  their  battles  ! 
Can  you  place  before  me  a  more  lovely  or  original,  or 
profound  book  of  poetry  than  the  Psalms  ?  They  are 
admired  in  all  lands  and  in  every  age.  Children  delight 
to  commit  them  to  memory.  Older  people  learn  to  see 
in  them  jewels  of  thought,  of  comparison,  of  illustration. 
Is  there  any  work  to  match  the  book  of  Proverbs  ? 
There  is  not  a  wrong  utterance.  The  sentences  are 
complete.  Every  one  has  some  precious  gem  of  truth. 
How  striking  are  the  prophets — one  and  all,  but  let  me 
say  more  especially  the  minor  ones,  who  are  but  little 
read  or  thought  about.  Jonah,  Joel,  Micah,  Malachi, — 
these  are  excellent  reading.  Their  thoughts  are  impressive. 
You   can  quote  from  any  one  of  them  sparkling  gems. 


212  LEARNING  B  V  EXPERIENCE. 

The  New  Testament  as  a  whole  is  perfect  in  its  human 
•  touches,  in  a  delineation  of  the  lofty  Person,  in  beautiful 
odes,  in  deep  widsom.  As  a  work  of  literary  value,  I  am 
sure,  there  is  nothing  to  compare  with  it.  But  try  to 
conceive  the  immense  libraries  to  which  this  old  Scripture 
has  given  rise — how  the  Gospel  has  fired  the  souls  of 
poets  of  all  centuries  till  now  we  have  the  fullest  and 
rarest  collection.  Think  of  the  vast  tomes  of  theology. 
See  the  miles  of  volumes  in  our  great  libraries  on  Church 
history,  biography  of  Christians  of  the  various  centuries; 
consider  the  endless  creeds,  catechisms,  books  of 
instruction.  Such  is  the  knowledge  we  are  to  acquire. 
It  is  all  important  in  itself.  No  one  can  afford  to  despise 
it.  He  shows  his  ignorance  who  attempts  to  do  this. 
What  an  intellectual  loss  would  it  be,  if  all  these  books 
were  burned  !  Could  we  possibly  make  up  for  the  want 
of  them  ?  No,  let  us  emphasize  this  aspect  of  our 
subject.  It  is  all  important.  Even  infidels  have  to 
confess  their  appreciation  of  our  books  of  learning  and 
works  of  art.  He  is  foolish  indeed  who  will  deliberately 
set  himself  against  this  view.  Let  us  rather  strive  to 
learn  all  we  can. 

III.  Let  me  speak,  thirdly,  of  turning  the  science  of 
theology  into  the  art  of  holy  living — or  how  to  make 
Bible  doctrine  a  matter  of  practical  experience.  For 
illustration  let  me  refer  to  the  physician's  career.  Study 
of  the  great  principles  of  bodily  life  and  of  the  laws  of 
nature  becomes  in  the  first  place  the  bounden  duty  of 
the  student  of  medicine,  and  of  the  physician  all  through 


LEARNING  BY  EXPERIENCE.  213 

his  career.  When  he  has  mastered  this  knowledge  he 
enters  upon  his  second  course  of  learning — making  a 
practical  application  of  what  he  has  gained  in  the  schools. 
If  he  is  wise  and  determined  to  grow  to  usefulness  and 
honor,  this  two  fold  learning  will  mark  his  entire  course. 
So  it  is  with  the  Christian.  Before  conversion  he  may 
have  learned  much  from  Bible  reading,  hearing  sermons, 
or  Sabbath  School  instruction.  From  the  moment  of  his 
call  by  God  the  value  of  his  scholarship  will  at  once 
appear  and  be  felt.  Let  me  speak  of  the  doctrine 
concerning  sin.  We  can  see  its  origin  in  the  fall  of  man. 
As  we  read  the  Bible  we  are  ever  coming  into  touch  with 
sinners.  The  burden  of  iniquity  is  upon  David.  He 
says,  '*  Blessed  is  the  man  whose  sin  is  covered.^'  He 
speaks  of  **his  mother  conceiving  him  in  sin."  He 
cries,  *' Create  in  me  a  clean  heart  and  renew  a  right 
spirit  within  me."  According  to  the  book  of  Proverbs, 
•*Sin  is  a  reproach  to  any  people."  How  impressive  are 
the  words  of  Isaiah,  "Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way, 
and  the  unrighteous  man  his  thoughts,  and  let  him  return 
unto  the  Lord,  and  he  will  have  mercy  upon  him !  " 
Jesus  pourtrays  the  sinner  in  vivid  colors  when  He  speaks 
of  the  prodigal  as  going  into  a  far  country  and  there 
bestowing  his  goods  upon  riotous  living.  What  a  picture 
of  human  degradation  !  The  Apostle  Paul  goes  into  the 
subject  thoroughly  when  he  shows  sin  to  be  reigning  in 
the  heart,  that  a  man  is  dead  in  sin,  that  there  is  fearful 
condemnation  for  the  wicked.  ''  The  sting  of  death  is 
sin,  and  the  strength  of  sin  is  the  law."     One  cannot  read 


214  LEARNING  B  Y  EXPERIENCE. 

the  Romans  without  feeling  that  he  is  naturally  a 
heinous  sinner,  for  the  Apostle  asks,  '  What  fruit  had  ye 
then  in  those  things  whereof  ye  are  now  ashamed?"  He 
says,  "The  wages  of  sin  is  death."  It  is  obvious  that  a 
person  may  know  this  doctrine  to  perfection.  He  may 
be  able  to  set  it  forth  effectively  in  sermon,  or  book.  And 
yet  he  may  not  feel  that  sin  is  warring  in  his  members. 
When,  however,  he  is  made  feel  himself  to  be  a  sinner  by 
the  Spirit  of  God,  then  the  knowledge  of  the  Divine 
teachings  on  this  subject  floods  his  mind.  When  he  is 
cast  down  like  Saul  of  Tarsus,  whose  knowledge  of  the 
Old  Testament  rose  in  rebellion  against  him  as  he  cried 
for  mercy,  then  the  word  of  God  stands  up  as  his 
reprover.  He  utters  himself  in  the  language  of  Scripture 
in  all  his  cries  for  pardon,  in  his  confessions  of  guilt,  in 
his  petitions  for  a  new  heart  and  a  new  life.  So  it  is,  my 
brethren,  with  the  correlated  doctrine  of  justification  by 
faith.  How  beautifully  consistent  is  the  word  regarding 
the  relationship  of  the  creature  to  the  Creator  when  he  is 
considered  now  as  made  righteous  because  of  his  trust  in 
the  merits  of  the  Saviour!  ,  One  may  grasp  the  subject  as 
presented  in  the  Bible.  He  may  speak  fluently  concerning 
the  mercy  to  pardon  and  the  grace  to  help.  He  may 
discourse  eloquently  upon  the  righteousness  of  Christ  and 
utter  deep  thoughts  concerning  the  sinner  as  now  covered 
with  the  Saviour's  seamless,  spotless,  holy  robe.  But  the 
doctrine  is  merely  clothed  in  words.  He  feels  not  the 
truth  that  is  in  it.  He  knows  nothing  of  relationship  with 
God  the  Father  through  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.     He  is 


LEARNING  B  V  EXPERIENCE.  215 

like  a  car  detached.  It  is  motionless,  dead,  or,  if  on  the 
main  track,  is  an  obstacle,  or  it  may  be  a  source  of  danger. 
But  when  he  becomes  attached  to  God  by  believing  in 
Christ  and  feels  that  his  Father  is  now  treating  him  as  a 
son,  he  can  turn  to  his  store  house  of  Scriptural  learning, 
and  pour  out  his  heart  in  the  appropriate  utterance,  ''Bless 
the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me,  bless  his 
holy  name.  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  forget  not 
all  his  benefits;"  or  he  can  resort  to  the  language  of  Paul 
to  express  himself,  "Who  hath  saved  us,  and  called  us  with 
an  holy  calling,  not  according  to  our  works,  but  according 
to-  his  own  purpose  and  grace,  which  was  given  us  in  Christ 
Jesus  before  the  world  began."  How  clear  does  the  meaning 
of  the  Spirit  appear  when  the  words  of  Scripture  are  now  to 
be  illustrated  by  his  own  deep  feelings!  The  thought  of  a 
man  being  justified  by  grace  is  now  understood  in  the 
light  of  experience.  He  stands  redeemed  before  God. 
The  real  difference  between  him  and  the  man  who  has 
only  the  knowledge  of  experience  is,  that  the  condition  of 
him  who  knows  the  doctrine  is  an  illumination  of  the 
word  of  God.  And  so  it  is  with  the  precious  teachings  of 
the  Bible  regarding  sanciification.  Jesus  says,  ''Howbeit 
when  He  the  Spirit  of  truth  is  come,  he  will  guide  you 
into  all  truth;  for  he  shall  not  speak  of  himself,  but  what- 
soever he  shall  hear,  that  shall  he  speak,  and  he  will  show 
you  things  to  come."  The  Apostle  speaks  of  ''  being  in 
Christ  Jesus  who  of  God  is  made  unto  us  sa7ictificatio7i'' 
He  says  2  Thess.  ii.  13.  "But  we  are  bound  to  give  thanks 
to  God  for  you,  brethren  beloved  of  the  Lord,  because 


2i6  LEARNING  B  Y  EXPERIENCE. 

God  hath  from  the  beginning  chosen  you  to  salvation 
through  sanctification  and  belief  of  the  truth.  "  What  an 
important  part  of  the  teaching  of  the  New  Testament, 
**even  our  sanctification!"  But  it  is  only  like  a  poem 
which  fills  the  air  with  melody  as  it  is  read,  and  yet  the 
hearer  fails  to  catch  its  meaning.  But  how  precious  is  this 
truth  when  the  Spirit  dwells  in  me  !  How  inspiring  to 
know  that  I  am  become  holy  through  my  faith  in  the 
righteousness  of  Christ  and  by  the  presence  and  blessing 
within  and  upon  me  of  the  Divine  Spirit !  The  Apostle 
intensely  realizes  this  vital  matter  when  saying,  "The 
Lord  shall  deliver  me  from  every  evil  work  and  preserve 
me  unto  his  heavenly  kingdom;  to  whom  be  glory  for  ever 
and  ever."  And  in  the  same  degree,  though  possibly  not 
to  the  same  extent,  am  I  able  now  to  declare  myself  as 
set  apart  by  God  for  a  holy  purpose,  henceforth  to  give 
my  life  in  humble  service,  and  to  await  with  confidence  my 
passage  into  the  glories  of  the  skies,  or  the  coming  of  my 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  with  great  power  of 
illumination. 


^^m:^^ 


rr^^-"- 


>r<f^ 


t^ 


^y^' 


'^f£^i^:^KI' ' 


-^. 


■'.-i"^ 


YM^^ 


Hii!^%^ 


"^^S^O 


'^S^WV^:>:^ 


^^^^:: 


C>/  'i^'P^ 


■^.v-sllS, 


,1^ 


n^'.^ 


^ 


'J^  SS'^^'^nt^  ''   W^;f^'§^ 


^°"   Theological  Sernmary-Speer  Libr, 


1    1012  01026  4234 


